MUSC receives nearly $4.69 million to improve lives throughout South Carolina

In its centennial year, The Duke Endowment has made four awards totaling nearly $4.69 million to help the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) improve access to health care throughout South Carolina.

Since 1994, the Endowment has invested more than $40 million in MUSC’s lifesaving mission.

“For 30 years now, MUSC and The Duke Endowment have worked as partners to catalyze transformational improvement in health care delivery, enabling us to better meet the needs of our communities,” said David J. Cole, M.D., FACS, president of MUSC. “With The Duke Endowment support provided by these four grants, we are poised to tackle the pressing shortage of primary care physicians in South Carolina, enrich the well-being of children and families, expand access to vital health care services and strengthen mental health support systems.”

In all, four grants will support initiatives that align with MUSC’s vision of leading health innovation for the lives we touch.

“We deeply value our longstanding relationship with MUSC and are proud to support these projects which are aimed at improving the health of South Carolinians,” said Lin Hollowell, director of The Duke Endowment’s Health Care program area. “Together, MUSC and The Duke Endowment are dedicated to increasing access to innovative care and promoting health equity across the state.”

These grants will enable MUSC to:

Build a pipeline of primary care physicians for Lancaster and Chester counties 

Grant amount: $1,395,000

Rural Chester and Lancaster counties urgently need better access to health care, especially primary care physicians.

To practice medicine, physicians must complete residency training, known as graduate medical education (GME). Currently, South Carolina lacks enough GME slots for its medical graduates each year. With this grant from The Duke Endowment, MUSC will create new residency programs through its Regional Health Network, which includes hospitals across the state. The funding will support the launch of two primary care residency programs (General Internal Medicine and Family Medicine) to support Lancaster County, Chester County and surrounding areas.

These programs are designed to become self-sustaining, with ongoing costs covered by a combination of federal and state funding, patient care services and hospital contributions. The first group of residents is expected to begin their training in July 2025.

Improve health and access to care in Chester County

Grant amount: $750,000

In 2023, funding from The Duke Endowment enabled MUSC, in partnership with the Chester County Community Coalition, to hire a project coordinator to assess Chester County’s health needs. Key risk factors addressed by the grant may include poor diet and lack of physical activity, which significantly contribute to heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.

This additional grant funding will facilitate continued collaboration with area partners to ensure access to high-quality care in Chester County. The partnership aims to promote healthier food choices and enhance access to community health programs. 

Provide emotional support for South Carolina stroke survivors 

Grant amount: $900,000

While physical recovery often takes center stage after a stroke – focusing on relearning speech and movement – emotional well-being is equally crucial. Over half of stroke survivors report experiencing anxiety, manifesting as worry, fear or dread. Such mental health challenges significantly increase the risk of death and suicide within a year post-stroke.

The need for emotional support is particularly acute in South Carolina, where stroke rates are high, and patients are often younger. Alarmingly, fewer than half of those who need emotional health resources receive them.

To address this gap, MUSC is introducing an innovative, accessible and sustainable emotional wellness program for stroke survivors. This initiative will integrate cognitive-behavioral therapy with occupational therapy and speech-language pathology. Leveraging MUSC’s extensive statewide stroke telerehabilitation network, the program aims to make these specialized services available to all who need them.

MUSC will also partner with nonprofit Stroke Onward, to ensure survivors continue to have access to emotional support resources after rehabilitation ends. This grant will pave the way for a comprehensive support system that addresses both the physical and emotional recovery needs of stroke survivors in South Carolina.

Enhance teen access to behavioral health services statewide 

Grant amount: $1,640,000

A survey from the South Carolina Department of Mental Health reveals nearly half of teens face mental health issues but struggle to find treatment. With this grant, MUSC will launch an initiative to boost the mental and behavioral well-being of South Carolina students, by bringing support directly to them in school.

By collaborating with school staff, primary care providers, school-based telehealth experts and mental health professionals, MUSC aims to make care more accessible than ever.

The project will be spearheaded by the MUSC Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness, in close partnership with the MUSC Center for Telehealth and MUSC Mental Health Integrated Centers of Clinical Excellence.

 

About MUSC 

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2024, for the 10th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of ~$7.1 billion. The 31,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, contract employees, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research and patient care.

 

About The Duke Endowment 

Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed $4.8 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.