The University of South Carolina is planning to develop a unique hospital that would house the Palmetto State’s first standalone comprehensive medical facility dedicated entirely to integrated care of patients with brain and nervous system illnesses.
USC’s highly specialized hospital would offer advanced neurological and neurosurgery treatments, as well as neurological rehabilitation for trauma, stroke, cancer and other conditions. The innovative hospital, concentrating solely on the care of diseases affecting the brain and the nervous system, would be the first of its kind in the Southeast.
The hospital would provide an opportunity to address the pressing health needs of South Carolinians, while leveraging the broad multidisciplinary clinical, academic and research portfolio from USC. The hospital would house fully equipped clinical research spaces and laboratories and provide additional clinical training sites for USC students studying medicine, physical and speech therapy, nursing, pharmacy, artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering, and other academic, medical and technical disciplines.
The hospital would have about 115 beds that provide access to state-of-the-art health care from preeminent physicians, therapists and nurses.
“As USC expands its efforts to provide the highest quality medical education to South Carolina students and serve the state’s health care needs, building a single location for neurological treatment and rehabilitation is a vital next step,” President Michael D. Amiridis said. “This is a tremendous opportunity to address a critical gap in health care for brain-related conditions, not only for our state, but for the entire Southeast.”
The need for enhanced neurological care in South Carolina is critical. Stroke, caused by a disruption of blood flow to the brain, is the sixth-highest cause of death in the state, according to the S.C. Department of Public Health. South Carolina also ranks fourth for death rates due to traumatic brain injuries, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported.
Increasing numbers of South Carolinians also are suffering from other chronic neurological conditions that can be mitigated through treatment and rehabilitation, including epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.
Current neurological care and rehabilitation options in South Carolina are limited, forcing residents to seek care outside the state. The time and travel expenses required by patients and families can be overwhelming and can impact health outcomes. The planned USC hospital would make world-class treatment available right in the heart of South Carolina, while reducing costs for patients.
The hospital is planned next to the university’s soon-to-be-constructed School of Medicine building on USC’s Health Sciences Campus inside the BullStreet District of Columbia. It would be an extension of the university’s network of cutting-edge brain health care and research. USC is already establishing the Brain Health Center, a high-tech outpatient treatment and research facility near the BullStreet site. In addition, through clinics in USC’s Brain Health Network, patients in underserved areas across the state are receiving diagnostic care and treatment for complex neurological conditions and dementia.
“This would be the most impactful project in the history of the university, particularly for the quality of life of South Carolinians," USC Board of Trustees Chairman Thad H. Westbook said. "Our citizens would be able to get the best quality of care in their backyard. This is all part of our mission in serving the people of South Carolina. We do that through the delivery and development of knowledge, and here's an opportunity for us to help deliver healthcare at the highest level for brain health issues, which desperately need more attention in our state.”
The hospital would complement USC's long-standing partnership with Prisma Health by extending the collaboration at the McCausland Center for Brain Imaging and Brain Health Network, and in training medical students.
USC is coordinating plans for the hospital with the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services. The USC Board of Trustees approved an agreement with the state health agency on Oct. 25 to receive $10 million to perform preliminary architecture and engineering work.
The university is requesting $150 million from the state budget next year to help pay for the $350 million project.
USC’s growing health care services
Several recent and upcoming USC projects will combine to provide advanced treatment and research for a range of health care issues in South Carolina. Many of the projects will be clustered near downtown Columbia.
Brain Health Network: Focusing on Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, USC is serving patients in underserved areas to provide diagnostic care for cognitive impairment and memory concerns, access to specialized diagnostic technology and doctors, and assistance to patients and caregivers in navigating the healthcare system and community resources. Clinics are already operating in Sumter, Winnsboro, Seneca and Columbia, with plans to add more locations.
Nursing Training Center: In August, USC and Lexington Medical Center opened a new 52,000-square-foot facility that will boost the number of nursing graduates in the Midlands by 80 percent annually. The clinical education center in West Columbia provides high-tech, hands-on training for third- and fourth-year bachelor’s nursing students as well as master’s program students.
Brain Health Center: The outpatient center, near Prisma Health Richland Hospital and across Harden Street from USC’s planned hospital and soon-to-be-built School of Medicine building, will provide doctors and patients with access to the latest technologies, diagnostics and treatments and an expert clinical staff. It will include state-of-the-art MRI technology available nowhere else in South Carolina or neighboring states. Expected to open in early 2026, the center also will offer patients opportunities to take part in research and clinical trials.
School of Medicine building: USC plans to start construction in 2025 on a 300,000-square-foot building on USC’S Health Sciences Campus inside the BullStreet District that will replace the School of Medicine Columbia’s current facility on the VA Hospital campus on Garners Ferry Road. The new building will feature innovative active-learning classrooms, extensive medical-simulation spaces, a health science library, and labs for trailblazing clinical research that tackles the state’s diverse health challenges. The new medical school is expected to open in 2027.
Neurological hospital: The specialized hospital, planned for USC’s new Health Sciences Campus, will provide neurological treatment, surgery and rehabilitation – a first for USC and the first of its kind in the Southeast. The hospital, which also will house high-tech research space examining neurological conditions, could open as early as 2028.