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USC Center for Rural and Primary Health Care asks committee to continue funding for telehealth, workforce and community programs
Summary
Leaders of the USC Center for Rural and Primary Health Care told the subcommittee their programs have served thousands of rural patients, helped avoid long travel distances and supported workforce pipelines; they asked the committee to continue base funding and noted capacity limits on funding new proposals.
Officials from the University of South Carolina’s Center for Rural and Primary Health Care told the Healthcare Subcommittee they have expanded services statewide and asked the committee to continue base funding to sustain and grow those programs.
Dr. Kevin Bennett, director of the center, and Dr. Patricia Witherspoon, the center’s medical director, described a portfolio of programs that officials said served nearly 20,000 patients through 44+ service locations and 72 active programs, and that as of Jan. 1 their work reached all 46 counties in South Carolina. They said their work included mobile specialty clinics, pediatric subspecialty outreach, midwifery outreach, integrated mental‑health services, community paramedicine and workforce training and scholarships.
Dr. Bennett and Dr. Harmon (interim dean, University of South Carolina School of Medicine) told members the center funds student placements and scholarships that help recruit nurses and other clinicians into rural communities; the center said it has helped place more than 1,100 health professionals and that examples such as CNA‑to‑RN scholarship programs at USC Lancaster and Claflin College helped graduates return to rural practice.
The center requested continuation of base funding from the previous year’s proviso and described additional work they would support with more funds: growing the rural workforce pipeline, expanding clinical placements and scaling multi‑county “collaborative health communities” that coordinate care across counties. The presenters said the center turns down proposals regularly because funding is limited and emphasized the replicability of evidence‑based models.
Committee members asked about retention, starting salaries and clinical placements. Dr. Bennett said entry‑level program assistant positions generally are in the mid‑$40,000 range depending on education and experience, and that most program hires require at least a bachelor’s degree. Dr. Witherspoon described partnerships with residency programs and health systems that have led some trainees to remain in rural practices.
No formal vote or appropriation appears in the transcript; presenters requested continuation of prior funding and invited the committee to consider additional funds to scale successful programs.
