MUSC, Fetter partnership to bring quality care to underserved communities

Listen to this article

Fetter Health Care Network is partnering with South Carolina’s oldest medical school in hopes of improving medical care to underserved communities.

Through this affiliation with Medical University of South Carolina, the two seek to offer improved access to care and to eliminate health disparities in the community, MUSC said in a news release.  

"We are honored to partner with MUSC and combine our efforts to serve the community," said Aretha R. Polite-Powers, CEO of Fetter Health Care Network, in a news release. "Fetter is pleased to join forces, and we look forward to making an even more positive impact on the lives of individuals throughout the Lowcountry."  

Fetter, a federally qualified health care center that serves Charleston, Berkeley, Colleton and Dorchester counties, provides comprehensive services for insured, uninsured and underserved residents.

Chartered as a 501c3 nonprofit in the State of South Carolina in 1975, Fetter is one of MUSC Health’s original affiliates in its statewide initiative to increase access to care for rural and underserved communities, through Federally Qualified Health Centers located in those communities, the release said.

The affiliation will allow Fetter to coordinate with MUSC when its patients require a higher access of care, including MUSC specialty or hospital-based services, or other community initiatives.

MUSC Health CEO and university vice president of health affairs, Patrick J. Cawley, said the hospital is dedicated to improving health care access for underserved communities with “timely and effective” solutions.

“This framework is critical to moving forward on a number of initiatives that will improve access to health care for underserved populations in the Charleston area,” Cawley said. “By working together, we can have much greater impact on the complex and interwoven issues that lead to access issues and care disparities. Fetter is a trusted resource in the local community, and we look forward to working more closely with them. ”