USC planning SC’s first hospital specializing in neurological care – USC News & Events

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.