The SC Institute of Medicine and Public Health receives funding from The Duke Endowment and Sisters of Charity Foundation
June 22, 2015
COLUMBIA, SC – The South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health has received $230,000 in combined funding from The Duke Endowment and Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina to support the Institute’s Health Policy Fellows Program.
The Health Policy Fellows Program, launched in 2013, is a comprehensive educational program for elected officials and legislative staff of the SC General Assembly. The Fellows program is intended to assist participants by providing resources and information related to complex health topics. Designed to offer clear, evidence-based health policy information, material is shared in a non-partisan manner to inform policy decisions leading to improved health outcomes. The program also highlights the importance of considering health implications as factors across all policy decisions.
“The Health Policy Fellows Program is a unique offering that has been very well received by our inaugural participants,” according the Institute’s director of operations, Lee Pearson. “We are truly grateful to The Duke Endowment and the Sisters of Charity Foundation for their continued support of this program and for recognizing its value to our state.”
Previous Fellows Program sessions have afforded elected officials and legislative staff the opportunity to view health in its broadest sense as influenced by the array of social determinants. Through interactive presentations and facilitated discussions with experts, legislators and legislative staff are informed about national and regional health outcomes and the unique health challenges facing our state. They also learn about the health care system and how health care is financed. Ultimately, participants learn how to find common ground in discussing the complex aspects a changing health care landscape.
The new funding for the Fellows Program will be used to continue educational sessions over the next two years, with the next offering for elected official scheduled for this fall. As in previous sessions, the topical focus areas will include health issues and outcomes, health care delivery and financing, and identifying collaborative approaches to move forward to implement solutions.
For more information on the Health Policy Fellows Program, please contact the Institute’s manager of legislative services, Tim Rogers, at [email protected].
The South Carolina Institute of Medicine & Public Health (IMPH) is an independent entity serving as a neutral convener around the important health issues in our state. IMPH also serves as a provider of evidence-based information to inform health policy decisions.
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 more than $3 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University and Duke Energy, but all are separate organizations.
The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina works daily to address the needs of the poor and underserved in South Carolina through a variety of programs, grant opportunities, education and training for nonprofit organizations, evaluation, collaborative ventures and public policy work.
