New clinic brings health care to South Carolina’s underserved Orangeburg-area community

Clemson Rural Health continues to expand health care services to South Carolinians with the opening of a new clinic in Orangeburg. The Clemson Health Clinic at Orangeburg (CHC-O) is the third Clemson-run clinic to open and will provide life-saving services in a largely underserved part of the state, both through fixed health care facilities and mobile health units.

Elected and appointed officials who attended a May 25 ribbon-cutting hailed the partnerships that made the clinic a reality and celebrated its opening as transformative.

I am so thrilled Clemson Rural Health is in our community. I am very passionate about access to care in rural South Carolina, and with this rural health program from Clemson, we are going to be able to collaborate with existing providers and expand our program offerings. The way to success in rural South Carolina is to pool our resources and work together – not in silos. We all have a role to play, and we are going to do it together.

South Carolina State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter

Clemson Rural Health is part of the Clemson University College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences and an extension of the University’s land-grant mission.

Clemson Rural Health has served the Lowcountry for over a decade through mobile health clinics but was restricted by travel distances from their home base in Walhalla. This new hub clinic, located at 1181 Hutto Street in Orangeburg, will allow Clemson to have a consistent and elevated impact on the health and well-being of Orangeburg, Bamberg, Barnwell and Calhoun counties.

Clemson Rural Health’s three-fold mission to train students, advance research and provide clinical outreach supports the College’s overall mission to build people and communities. Through a combination of teaching, research and patient care – we are confident our new Orangeburg clinic will transform health outcomes within the community and beyond.

Leslie Hossfeld, dean of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences

The full-time, fully staffed primary care facility will provide in-person appointments, telehealth and remote patient monitoring along with two mobile health units for outreach into rural counties, and a highly qualified, multidisciplinary team to the community. Led by nurse practitioner, Donna Atkinson, a prominent certified diabetes care and education specialist in the region, the clinic will heavily focus on chronic disease prevention and management.

The May ribbon-cutting event included tours of the brick-and-mortar clinic and its brand-new mobile health units, free blood pressure checks, a healthy cooking demonstration and refreshments.

The opening of the Clemson Health Clinic at Orangeburg represents a long-term commitment by Clemson University to increase access to health services and improve health outcomes for rural and underserved communities. This clinic will serve as a hub for high quality clinical care, educational partnerships and clinical research – cumulatively impacting chronic disease outcomes and regional challenges for Orangeburg and the surrounding counties.

Ron Gimbel, Director, Clemson Rural Health

More information about the future of the CHC-O and Clemson Rural Health’s impact on the state of South Carolina can be found in the 2022 Fiscal Year Impact Report.

The Clemson Health Clinic at Orangeburg is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 803-516-4227. Learn more at clemsonruralhealth.org.

More information about the future of the CHC-W and Clemson Rural Health’s impact on the state of South Carolina can be found in the 2022 Fiscal Year Impact Report.