Contact: John Nash
843.792.0687
August 1, 2002
Charleston, SC -- The Duke Endowment
recently made a gift in the amount of $707,367 to the Medical University of
South Carolina, enabling the school to launch four new programs to help serve
low-income and otherwise medically under-served populations throughout South
Carolina.
The endowment further expressed its intent to provide these programs with an
additional $1,175,398 in funding over the next two years, for a total of $1.88
million by the year 2004.
The gift was announced today by university President Ray Greenberg,
who said it was especially significant in that it would support outreach programs
in four of the university's six colleges: the College of Medicine, the College
of Nursing, the College of Health Professions and the College of Dental Medicine.
The Duke Endowment's gift will support four programs. One will
promote maternity and newborn care in rural communities; another will create
hypertension specialists in communities throughout the state; a third aims to
improve dental health among low-income and minority children; and the fourth
will enable health care professionals in remote locations to participate in
continuing-education programs.
Greenberg said that The Duke Endowment has long supported programs
at the Medical University. However, this most recent gift represented its largest
investment to date.
"Of all the challenges facing the American health care system, eliminating health care disparities is one of the more serious and pervasive. It is of particular concern here in South Carolina, where there are such great differences in health status," said Greenberg. "Through this gift, The Duke Endowment has provided us with the means to do something about these disparities, and make health care services more accessible to those whom might otherwise slip through the cracks.Just as important, they have sent a powerful message that no problem is unsolvable when people and organizations work in partnership. For that, we are immensely grateful."
Established in 1924 by N.C. industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is one of the nation's largest private foundations. Its mission is to serve the people of North Carolina and South Carolina by supporting selected program of higher education, health care, children's welfare, and spiritual life.
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