Having access to quality health care is often a problem for low-income patients who live in rural communities. Fortunately, there are medical facilities such as Sandhills Medical Foundation, Inc in Lugoff, South Carolina that work on a sliding fee scale, which means that all their patients, regardless of income level, can afford quality health care. However, this has also increased their number of patients over time, and it wasn’t long before they recognized that their Lugoff office was running out of space.
Daniel Roberts, Chief Operating Officer of the Sandhills Medical Foundation, searched for funding to help expand the facility so it could meet the growing demand. He reached out to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development’s Community Facilities program which helps provide funding to develop or improve essential public services and facilities in communities across rural America.
Sandhills Medical Foundation was approved for funding and on June 1, 2021, the groundbreaking of a 13,000-square-foot expansion began. When completed, the $3 million USDA Rural Development investment will nearly double the facilities size which will ultimately enable Sandhills to expand their services and ensure low-income patients have access to quality healthcare.
“The office expansion will allow us to provide space for more [medical staff],” said Roberts. “We can provide better healthcare in a more modern setting and this will allow us to expand our service options that we offer our patients.”
Services that will be offered in the expanded facility include primary care, behavioral health, onsite pharmacy and laboratory services. Sandhills Medical Foundation will also continue to provide healthcare services such as patient education, flu shots, health screenings for blood pressure, diabetes, and much more.
USDA has funds available through the American Rescue Plan for more projects like the Sandhills Medical Foundation. To learn more, visit: www.rd.usda.gov/erhc