UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

The Children and Family Healthcare Center

The Children and Family Healthcare Center, located in the former Midland Shopping Center in Columbia, is one of three nurse practitioner clinics operated by USC's College of Nursing. Operating under the umbrella of University Specialty Clinics, the center conducts physicals and provides primary health care for children entering foster care. The center serves about 80 percent of the Richland County foster care system and also serves other clients who live in impoverished areas of the community. Faculty members of the College of Nursing practice at the center with undergraduate and graduate nursing students who rotate through the facility for clinical experience. The clinic operates on third-party payment, primarily Medicaid, and a grant from the Basic Nurse Education and Practice Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The center's phone number is 803-256-2500.

Cochlear Implant Program

This program of the Arnold School of Public Health serves severely hearing-impaired children by providing evaluations, medical and surgical interventions, and follow-up therapy. Each year 20 to 30 new cochlear implant children are served. Program staff and faculty have trained personnel at the Medical University of South Carolina and at other schools and hospitals throughout the nation. For more information, contact the Speech and Hearing Center at 803-777-7669.

Columbia Free Medical Clinic

As part of the Introduction to Clinical Medicine course, all USC medical students actively participate in this program. For more information, call 803-765-1503.

Developmental Pediatric Clinic

The School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics Developmental Pediatric Clinic uses a team approach to provide evaluation and treatment recommendations that put parents and children with developmental disabilities on a path to a constructive future. Clinic staff work with several state agencies, including the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. For more information, call 803-935-5604.

Gregory Health and Wellness Center—USC Lancaster

The Gregory Health and Wellness Center at USC Lancaster provides students and community members access to a state-of-the-art fitness facility. The center contains a gymnasium that can accommodate basketball and volleyball, an indoor walking and jogging track, a 25-meter pool, racquetball and handball courts, and a free-weight room. Also within the center is the Khoury Health Fitness Area, containing Nautilus equipment for resistance training, recumbent and upright bikes, elliptical trainers, step trainers, and treadmills for cardiovascular training. The cardiovascular area is equipped with the Cardiotheater audio-video service. Exercise physiologists are on duty to help participants establish exercise programs. The center serves the community with an after-school center, summer day camps, and cardiac rehabilitation and physical therapy programs. The Child Development Center serves economically disadvantaged children by working with 3- and 4-year-olds, preparing them for a successful kindergarten experience. Adjacent to the center is the J.P. Richards Recreation Complex, providing tennis courts and outdoor basketball courts for campus and community use. For more information, call 803-313-7102, or visit the Web at usclancaster.sc.edu/greg_ctr/index.html.

Midlands Care Consortium

The Midlands Care Consortium, also called the MCC Clinic, provides comprehensive medical and support services for financially needy HIV patients in the Midlands. The program was created by USC's Department of Internal Medicine with federal Ryan White funding in cooperation with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services, Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital, and the Columbia Free Medical Clinic. For more information, call 803-252-2135.

Palmetto SeniorCare

At Palmetto Richland Hospital's Palmetto SeniorCare program, USC School of Medicine faculty provide all-inclusive care to low-income elderly clients. For more information, call 803-733-3200.

Partners for Healthy Schools

A collaborative effort between the USC School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics, the Palmetto Health Alliance, and Richland School District One, Partners for Healthy Schools improves access to primary and preventive health care in two low-health status Columbia high-school clusters. The program provides medical homes for children who need them, as well as a case management system to support both patient and family needs. For more information, call 803-434-7950

Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program

The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program of the USC School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics is the only program in the Midlands to provide comprehensive care to affected children. The program is co-sponsored by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and the S.C. AIDS Consortium. For more information, call 803-434-7995.

Physical Education Programs

The Department of Physical Education in the College of Education is involved in several activities for schools and communities, including:

• Children's Run is a fitness run organized each year by the department to give children the opportunity to participate in the larger Carolina Marathon Association events.
• Sports Medicine Service provides water stations and sports medicine stations during the Carolina Marathon Association races. Student athletic trainers are recruited from the department to organize and work the stations and assist the runners.

For more information, call the Department of Physical Education at 803-777-3172.

Primary Care Partners

Primary Care Partners is located on the third floor of USC Columbia's Thomson Student Health Center and operated by the College of Nursing. Primary Care Partners offers immediate health care services for faculty, staff, their families, and the surrounding community. The nurse-managed facility is part of University Specialty Clinics, and services include acute and chronic illness management, routine physical, school/camp/sport physical, hormone replacement therapy, weight and nutritional management, stress management, GYN exam, breast exam, and family planning. For more information, call 803-777-5373 or go to www.sc.edu/nursing/hcc/index3.html.

SMART Program—Sports Medicine for Athletes and Recreational Teams

Through the SMART Progam (Sports Medicine for Athletes and Recreational Teams), the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the USC School of Medicine provides physicals for Richland School District One middle and high schools and arranges for physicians to attend high-school games for diagnosis and evaluation of sports injuries. An extension of the program is the department's Black and Blue Clinic, held on Saturday mornings after football games in cooperation with the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital. For more information, call 803-434-8288.

Rural Primary Care Center Network

Building on its primary mission to train physicians who serve the state's underserved populations, the USC School of Medicine created the Rural Primary Care Center Network. In 1991, the John A. Martin Primary Health Care Center opened in Winnsboro, providing educational experiences for USC medical students and health care to residents of Fairfield County. In 1998, Kershaw Family Medicine was created in partnership with Springs Memorial Hospital. A third center, McLeod-Bennettsville Family Medicine, was established in 2001 in medically underserved Marlboro County. For more information, call 803-733-3200.

South Carolina Center for Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Disorders

Through the S.C. Center for Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Disorders, the USC School of Medicine's Department of Surgery provides diagnosis and treatment for infants and children with facial congenital anomalies. The center is a joint project with the Arnold School of Public Health and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. For more information, contact Kirk Collins at 803-256-2657.

Speech and Hearing Center

The center, operated by the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the Arnold School of Public Health, served more than 5,000 visits in 2002 for adults and children who required speech-language services. It provides many valuable services, including:

• The Speech-Language Services for Patients with Aphasia Secondary to Stroke, which provides speech therapy for individuals who have exhausted their insurance coverage but would benefit from additional services. The program is especially important because South Carolina has the nation's highest prevalence of stroke.
• Through the Richland County First Steps Program, the center helps identify and assist 4- and 5-year-old Hispanic children with delays in language and pre-literacy skills. The center can be reached at 803-777-2613.

Teen Clinic

The USC School of Medicine's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Teen Clinic is a cooperative effort with Palmetto Richland Hospital that uses a team approach to meet the medical and social needs of teenage mothers. For more information, phone 803-779-4928.

Wellness Center/Seniors Exercise Program—USC Aiken

This USC Aiken program is open to individuals 60 and older for cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, and flexibility development. Class times are offered Monday through Saturday mornings. For more information, call 803-641-3641 or go to www.usca.edu/wellnesscenter.

Wellness Center/Phase II Cardiac Rehabilitation Program—USC Aiken

Operated as a joint venture between USC Aiken and Aiken Regional Medical Centers' Heart Center, the Aiken Cardiac Enhancement Program is a state-certified program focusing on appropriate education and exercise for individuals following recent heart problems. Education sessions cover the basics of heart disease and its treatments, as well as the various coronary risk factors and ways to change behavior. For more information, call 803-641-3641 or go to www.usca.edu/wellnesscenter.

Women’s Healthcare Center

College of Nursing faculty and students provide comprehensive, 24-hour healthcare services to women of all ages. Services include acute and chronic illness management, weight and nutritional management, contraceptive management, hormone replacement therapy, stress management, health promotion, physical examination, pap smear, and breast exam. For more information, call 803-782-1002.

Psychological Services Center

USC's Psychological Services Center offers individual, family, and group therapy for clients in the University community and the Columbia metropolitan area. Services include psychotherapy, psychological evaluations, and behavioral interventions for children, adolescents, and adults, and are available at no charge. The center is staffed by USC doctoral candidates in clinical-community psychology under supervision of Ph.D.-trained USC psychology faculty in the College of Arts and Science. For more information, call 803-777-4864 or go to http://www.cas.sc.edu/psyc/grad_psyccc/ccpsc.html.

William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute Partnerships

The USC School of Medicine is an active partner in three programs based at the William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute, a unit of the S.C. Department of Mental Health.

• The Child and Adolescent Assessment Resource Center is a nationally accredited child advocacy center for children who have been physically or sexually abused.
• The Diagnostic Preschool Program for young children with severe emotional and/or behavior problems focuses on developing strategies to promote socialization and emotional well-being.
• The Evaluation Clinic accepts referrals of difficult cases statewide, especially from rural mental health centers and provides complete evaluation and treatment recommendations. For more information, call 803-733-3200.

Human Genetics and Graduate Nursing Education Program—USC Upstate

USC Upstate's Human Genetics and Graduate Nursing Education Program integrates the principles of human genetics with preparatory and graduate nursing education and in nursing care. Genetics workshops are provided to Spartanburg/Greenville practicing nurses and to North Carolina residents by School of Nursing faculty. For more information, call 864-503-5444.

Kellogg Enrichment Program

This residential program will expand students’ knowledge of public health and public health research concepts while polishing their research and writing skills. Participants will develop and implement a structured health promotion and disease prevention program that will be implemented on their respective campuses and expanded to the surrounding communities. Contact Andrea Washington Williams, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, at 803-251-6303 or visit www.sph.sc.edu/health_disparities/default.htm.

Pre-Medical Academic and Career Exploration Series (PACES)

First-year students can explore careers in medicine and gain skills to become successful pre-medical students through this highly concentrated program. Academic, career, and interpersonal support services help participants become competitive applicants to medical, dental, optometry, or veterinary school. Ideal applicants are highly motivated and academically focused. Students who are educationally or financially disadvantaged are encouraged to apply. Partial scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis for Pell Grant recipients. July 27-Aug. 1, 2008. For more information, visit the PACES WEb site in the Office of Pre-Professional Advising.

Public Health Practice, Office of

The Office of Public Health Practice was established to expand and strengthen linkages between the Arnold School of Public Health's teaching, research, and service activities with public health workers in the communities they serve. Partnerships have been established with public health agencies, higher education institutions, and community-based organizations. Current collaborations have laid the foundation for expanding distance education offerings, initiating continuing education programming for public health professionals, and enhancing activities to address health disparities. A recent project involves conducting needs assessments of the state's public health workforce for training in topics related to competencies in general public health as well as those specific to terrorism and emergency preparedness. Call 803-777-5032 for more information.

RN to BSN Program—USC Upstate

USC Upstate, Greenville Hospital System, and Greenville Technical College have partnered to address the nursing shortage by allowing students who have completed their associate's degree in nursing at Greenville Technical College to complete their bachelor of science in nursing degree in the USC program offered at the University Center of Greenville. For more information, call 864-503-5446 or go to the Web site.

Senior Mentor Program

The Senior Mentor Program in USC's School of Medicine pairs Columbia-area senior citizens with medical students to enhance the students' geriatric education and provide personalized attention for the seniors. Begun in July 2000 with a grant from the Association of American Medical Colleges and the John A. Hartford Foundation, the program entails regular visits between the seniors and students during which students take medical histories, analyze prescription drug use, and develop personal relationships with the mentors to better understand the aging process. The medical students develop a better understanding of how to care for older patients, while the mentors receive free check-ups, benefit from the students' companionship, and contribute to their medical school training. For information, call 803-434-4333.

South Carolina Telemedicine Network

In a joint effort with Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital, the USC School of Medicine uses high-resolution audio and video transmissions to deliver medical expertise and consultations to sites across the state. These include a telepsychiatry program with patients at Lancaster's Springs Memorial Hospital, the Rural Primary Eye care Initiative in Greeleyville, the TelePOWER Project in Lake City, and telecardiology projects in Florence and Lancaster. For more information, call 803-733-3200.

Exercise Science Programs

One of six departments in the Arnold School of Public Health, exercise science provides several community programs aimed at improving exercise function and coordination abilities in children and adults.

• The Preventive Exercise Program for Adults identifies risk factors for cardiovascular disease and provides information that helps participants improve their risk profiles.
• The Perceptual-Motor Development Laboratory provides evaluative and therapeutic programs for children age 3 and older to develop motor development and control needs.
• Goodbodies annually provides support for 120 children and teens who are experiencing weight control difficulties. Participants learn principles of nutrition and physical activity.
• Individuals suffering with arthritis benefit from Tai Chi for Arthritis, a program that teaches 40 people per year a gentle form of exercise that involves movements at a slow, even pace and which improves balance, flexibility, posture, and muscular strength.
• Stay in Balance is a fall prevention program serving up to 75 people annually and designed to help seniors maintain good posture and balance control to avoid falls.
• Related programs are FACTS and FACTS II (Functional Abilities Circuit Training for Seniors), which provide twice-weekly workouts to improve eye-hand coordination, gait, strength development, and memory activities.

Contact the Department of Exercise Science at 803-777-5267 or on the Web.

Palmetto Poison Center

The Palmetto Poison Center serves as the Regional Poison Control center for the state of South Carolina and is the only poison control resource in South Carolina. The center is a cooperative effort of USC's College of Pharmacy and Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital. The center also supplies non-emergency information on poisonous plants and animals, potential toxicity of substances, industrial toxicology, and other related subjects. The poison center often acts as a clearinghouse for information in situations where there is concern for toxic products such as the Tylenol crisis, Polar Bar contamination, toxic spills, and accidents involving other toxic hazards. USC pharmacy studentsspend a four-week rotation in the poison center as part of their clinical clerkship experience. Medical residents in emergency medicine and pediatrics at Richland Memorial Hospital also rotate through the poison center for experience in poison control. Phone: 803-777-1117; 800-222-1222; drug information: 803-777-7804. Web.

Prevention Research Center

Part of USC's Arnold School of Public Health, the center co-sponsors many programs including:

• An annual conference on physical activity and health in South Carolina that attracts health and physical activity professionals and volunteers from across the state.
• The center also provides training and technical assistance to the S.C. Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, the S.C. Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity, and to state agencies such as the departments of Health and Environmental Control; Transportation; and Parks, Recreation, and Tourism.
• The center also serves on the Turning Point Implementation Oversight Committee that is working with DHEC to mobilize community action for public health policy changes. Six counties are involved with this effort in addition to USC's Center for Health Services and Policy Research.

For more information, call the Prevention Research Center at 803-777-4253 or go to http://www.sph.sc.edu/prc/default.htm.

Project HEART—Health Education and Resources Together

Members of USC's Student National Medical Association created Project HEART (Health Education and Resources Together) to provide school children with instruction in health, nutrition, and smoking prevention. The program also sponsors health fairs in inner-city neighborhoods. For more information, call 803-733-3135.

South Carolina American Legacy Empowerment Evaluation Project

The project involves faculty from the Arnold School of Public Health, the College of Nursing, and the College of Education to develop a comprehensive program model for tobacco use prevention. The project also is aimed at constructing effective guidelines for enhancing youth programs. For more information, contact the Arnold School of Public Health at 803-777-5032.

South Carolina Historically Black Colleges and Universities HIV/AIDS Summit

Working with a partnership of state Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), S.C. DHEC, and HIV/AIDS service organizations, USC's Arnold School of Public Health helps coordinate, organize, and execute this day-long HIV/AIDS training event. The summit educates African-American college students about the current status and impact of HIV/AIDS as well as information on how the disease is contracted, spread, and prevented. The summit also allows participants from each college campus as well as community organizations to work together to identify ways that HBCU campuses and students can provide leadership and activities that could reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS in the African-American community. The Arnold School of Public Health provides financial support for educational materials disseminated to attendees. For more information, call the Office of Public Health Practice in the Arnold School of Public Health at 803-576-6015.

South Carolina Partnership for Cancer Prevention

A community partnership involving USC's College of Nursing, Arnold School of Public Health, USC's Women's Studies Program, the S.C. Partnership for Cancer Prevention focuses on health issues of the Hispanic population in South Carolina. The project specifically addresses prevention and early detection of cervical cancer among recently immigrated Hispanic women. For more information, call Women's Studies at 803-777-4007.

Student Center After-School Program for Increasing Physical Activity

Part of USC's Arnold School of Public Health, the Prevention Research Center is involved in a partnership with Sumter schools called the Student Center After-School Program for Increasing Physical Activity. The innovative program promotes an increase in moderate-to-vigorous levels of activity among underserved adolescents. Call the Prevention Research Center at 803-777-4253.

Sumter County Active Lifestyles Project

The Prevention Research Center of the Arnold School of Public Health is working with S.C. DHEC and the Sumter County Active Lifestyles coalition to promote physical activity among that county's residents. Specifically, the Prevention Research Center is providing training, technical assistance, consultation, and evaluation services to coalition members. For more information, call 803-777-5032.

Tar Wars

Members of USC's Medical Student Association take the Tar Wars program to Columbia's elementary schools to educate children about the dangers of smoking. For more information, call 803-733-3135.