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Health Sciences South Carolina Honored with 2005 Palmetto Vision Award

Submitted by: John Warner on Nov 04, 2005 at 1:49 am Tagged with: Health Sciences Source:

Health Sciences South Carolina State leaders agree Collaborative is critical to creating knowledge-based economy

PEACE CENTER, GREENVILLE, S.C., November 3, 2005 - - Health Sciences South Carolina (HSSC), a public-private partnership between South Carolina’s research universities and largest health systems, was presented with the Palmetto Vision Award Thursday night at the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce’s 26th Annual Summit in Greenville, S.C. HSSC—also known as the “Collaborative”—received the award for its vision of using health sciences research to drive advances in the economic wellbeing and health status of South Carolina.

Current South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mack Whittle, chairman and CEO of Carolina First, and incoming Chamber Chairman Emerson Gower, vice president, Progress Energy, presented individual awards to the leaders of HSSC’s six member organizations: James Barker, president, Clemson University; Frank Pinckney, president and CEO, Greenville Hospital System; Dr. Ray Greenberg, president, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC); Kester Freeman, CEO, Palmetto Health; Ingo Angermeier, president and CEO, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System; and Dr. Andrew Sorensen, president, University of South Carolina (USC). Whittle cited the uniqueness of the HSSC collaboration and the partners’ ability to look beyond regional boundaries to enact change.

“There’s one thing that South Carolina doesn’t lack and that’s pride; whether it’s college football teams, our history or our beautiful cities and towns. We’re also a very competitive state and sometimes find ourselves competing with one another. Yet here is a case where the state’s top research universities and largest health systems have set aside pride and competitive differences to advance the economic wellbeing of our state. For their vision, Health Sciences South Carolina is recognized as the recipient of the 2005 Palmetto Vision Award,” Whittle said.

“By pooling resources—financial, intellectual, bricks and mortar—Health Sciences South Carolina has
succeeded in laying the foundation for a knowledge-based economy. Equally impressive, in just 19 months the Collaborative has established three Economic Centers of Excellence;assisted in the integration of MUSC’s and USC’s colleges of pharmacy into a stronger, statewide entity with greater capacity to educate and train pharmacists; and is leading the development of three research campuses in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville. The progress being made by Health Sciences South Carolina in our state is truly amazing,” Whittle said.

HSSC was established in April 2004 by the Greenville Hospital System, MUSC, Palmetto Health and USC with the idea of using health sciences research to advance economic development and improve public health in the state. In May 2005, Clemson University and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System joined the Collaborative. Each organization has pledged to invest $2 million per year for 10 years, a potential investment of $120 million. These funds are eligible for a one-to-one state match through the South Carolina Research Centers of Economic Excellence Act, also known as the Endowed Chairs Program, bringing the potential investment in health sciences research to $240 million.

South Carolina Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell helped author the Endowed Chairs Program and is an outspoken advocate. Congratulating HSSC on the award, Speaker Harrell said, “It is gratifying to see this important piece of legislation being used exactly as it was intended, to foster economic growth through research. Health Sciences South Carolina has proved to be a tremendous catalyst for change. Their actions are helping to jumpstart the state’s all-important transformation to a knowledge-based economy. In the process, Health Sciences South Carolina is setting the stage for better paying jobs and a lower unemployment rate, two things South Carolina especially needs,” Harrell said.

An integral part of the HSSC vision is improving the health status of South Carolinians, an area where the state also needs help. The partners have made a conscious effort to focus on clinical research that will bring new treatments and technologies to patient bedsides more quickly. HSSC is addressing immediate needs such as providing clinical training for physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health professions in high demand and short supply.

“Health Sciences South Carolina is the right organization at the right time,” says Thornton Kirby, executive director, South Carolina Hospital Association, the state’s largest advocacy group for hospitals. “Hospitals and universities have long provided a solid economic foundation for our state. It’s exciting to see hospitals and universities working in such close partnership to transform South Carolina’s economy.”

This is just the second year for the Palmetto Vision Award, which recognizes contributions made by public-private partnerships to advance a knowledge-based economy in South Carolina. Last year’s winner was Clemson-ICAR®, a research and innovation campus dedicated to advancing automotive engineering and design.

About Health Sciences South Carolina
Established in April 2004 by the Greenville Hospital System, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Palmetto Health and the University of South Carolina (USC), Health Sciences South Carolina—the “Collaborative”—was founded with the vision of improving the health and economic wellbeing of SouthCarolina through a coordinated effort to advance health sciences research and education. The Collaborative,which now includes Clemson University and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, is an inclusive public/private partnership that seeks to bring ogether universities, health systems, and other partners committed to its vision.