The McLeod Health Foundation has received two grants from The Duke Endowment totaling $875,200 to establish a Community Paramedicine Program and to support AccessHealth of the Pee Dee.

The Community Paramedicine grant of $375,200, will be utilized to provide ease of access and expedited care to patients in Darlington, Florence, and Chesterfield Counties. The anticipated results include reducing unnecessary Emergency Department usage and improving management of chronic conditions. Previous grants from The Duke Endowment have helped McLeod Health fund similar and successful paramedicine programs in Marlboro and Clarendon Counties.

The second grant of $500,000 will provide continued support for AccessHealth of the Pee Dee (AHPD) in its efforts to expand a community network of care for low-income, uninsured patients throughout the region. AccessHealth helps coordinate and navigate underserved patients through the complexities of healthcare. The grant funding will be used to increase the number of patients enrolled in AHPD, improve their chronic disease management, and reduce food insecurity and other social factors that put hurdles in the path to recovery and well-being. The Duke Endowment has funded the critical efforts of AccessHealth in partnership with McLeod Health since 2014.

“We are grateful to The Duke Endowment for their continued support,” says Elizabeth Jones, Executive Director of the McLeod Health Foundation. “This additional grant funding reflects a long and successful partnership between McLeod Health and The Duke Endowment.”

“The Duke Endowment is proud to partner with the McLeod Health Foundation to support these two initiatives,” said Lin Hollowell, Director of Health Care at The Duke Endowment. “Ensuring access to timely and appropriate health care and having basic health care needs met are critical to reducing health disparities and improving health outcomes for people in the communities that McLeod Health serves across the Carolinas.”

These grants support the mission of McLeod Health, which is to improve the overall health and well-being of people living within South Carolina and eastern North Carolina by providing excellence in health care.