MUSC Health Orangeburg outlines local partnerships, workforce efforts; district to pilot Change SC pop-up market March 31

Walter Bennett, CEO of MUSC Health Orangeburg, told the Orangeburg County School District Board on March 11 that MUSC has expanded local services and is pursuing partnerships to strengthen health-care workforce pipelines and community access to care.

Bennett said MUSC Health Orangeburg provides telehealth services to students, athletic trainers in district schools, a Boeing Center for Wellness presence in schools and an on-site health-care provider connected to wellness councils. He described priorities for local clinical program growth — cancer care (Mabry Cancer Center transitioning to Hollings Cancer Center programming), heart and vascular services, and neurosciences (including stroke and Alzheimer’s care). Bennett said the hospital has cut emergency department wait times from previously reported extreme delays to an average of four to six hours, and that the organization has recruited roughly nine physicians in the prior five to six months.

Bennett also said MUSC is partnering with Medtronic to provide STEM and health-care career education for K–12 students in the region and is engaging local colleges and technical schools (OC Tech, Denmark Tech, Voorhees, South Carolina State and Claflin) on workforce development and research partnerships.

Separately, Superintendent Foster announced the district will pilot a Change SC pop-up farmers market, in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, on March 31 in Branchville. The pop-up market will provide fresh fruits from local farmers and free student access to produce and recipes during school hours; the market will remain open after school for community purchases. Foster said the pilot aims to address food deserts, provide nutrition education, and extend the program to other county locations if successful.

Ending: Bennett invited board members to ask questions and emphasized the hospital’s interest in continuing school partnerships to improve student and community health access.