Clemson’s Sullivan Center expands non-COVID-19 virtual clinic visits to Oconee County residents

UPDATE: The Joseph F. Sullivan Center is extending its no-cost virtual clinic visits through July 31, 2020, to residents of Oconee County as well as Clemson University employees, alumni and families. To schedule a virtual clinic appointment, call (864) 656-3076. To learn more about the Sullivan Center virtual clinic, visit www.clemson.edu/virtualclinic.

In response to needs arising from the April 13 tornadoes and to help alleviate financial and social distancing concerns about securing non-COVID-19 medical care, Clemson University’s Joseph F. Sullivan Center will provide virtual clinic visits at no cost to residents of Oconee County. This is an expansion of services that the Sullivan Center is currently offering to Clemson University employees, alumni and families.

Operated by Clemson’s College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, the Sullivan Center has had a presence in Oconee County for more than a decade, first providing health services through a weekly mobile clinic in Walhalla. The interdisciplinary health center serves Clemson University employees and communities across South Carolina.

The new virtual clinic service is available through at least June 30. Clemson’s School of Nursing is partnering with the Sullivan Center on the initiative, providing three faculty members and several family nurse practitioner (FNP) students to work alongside Sullivan Center FNPs.

Through this virtual clinic service, Oconee County patients will have secure virtual visits with a nurse practitioner to address non-COVID-19 issues. If clinical problems cannot be fully addressed in a virtual visit, the Sullivan Center will schedule a follow-up, onsite visit at its Clemson or Walhalla location with heightened precautions against COVID-19 transmission. Normal billing will apply for onsite visits.

“We recognize that effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as the recent tornadoes, have had a devastating effect on the Oconee County community,” said Ron Gimbel, chair of the Clemson University Department of Public Health Sciences and special assistant to the provost, who directs the Sullivan Center. “This virtual clinic is one way we can be of service to our Oconee neighbors – and help ease the economic burdens of medical care in ways that limit COVID exposure.”

The Sullivan Center has a clinic on the Clemson campus, along with a state-of-the-art mobile health clinic. In 2013, after several years of hosting mobile clinic visits, the center began providing services in what is now the old health department building in Walhalla, allowing for an expansion of space and the ability to serve more patients. The Sullivan Center currently provides services in Walhalla, at 200 Booker Drive, on a part-time basis.

“The Sullivan Center has been a consistent presence working to better health care quality and access in Oconee County,” said S.C. Sen. Thomas Alexander of Walhalla, a long-time supporter of the Sullivan Center. “This announcement further exemplifies the dedication of the Sullivan Center in helping meet the health care needs of the citizens of Oconee County.”

To schedule a virtual clinic appointment, call (864) 656-3076. To learn more about the Sullivan Center virtual clinic, visit www.clemson.edu/virtualclinic.