DPH Awards Clemson Rural Health $7.7M Maternal Care Access Grant to Improve Care of Mothers and Babies in Underserved Areas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 30, 2026

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is pleased to announce the awarding of a $7.7 million Maternal Care Access Project grant to Clemson Rural Health of Clemson University, effective April 24th.

The grant includes $702,750 in one-time funding for the purchase of a Mobile Maternity Unit (MMU), then annual funding of $1.4 million for its operating costs. The grant covers a three-year project period, with two one-year renewal terms.

The goal of the grant is to address a critical public health need in South Carolina, which is the expansion of access to high quality maternal health services, including preconception counseling, prenatal and postpartum care, in designated areas with limited health care access. Reducing the number of preventable maternal deaths due to lack of access to care is a signature goal of this grant.

“Too many women in South Carolina have had to travel long distances to get the prenatal and postnatal care they need,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DPH interim director. “This has contributed to poor health outcomes for mothers and babies. Today, that begins to change. By bringing quality care directly to communities, DPH and the Clemson Rural Health of Clemson University are making it easier for women to get care close to home. Clemson is a strong partner in this work, and together we’re committed to improving the health of mothers and children in underserved areas.”

This critical grant will fund a Lakelands Region mobile maternity health unit, to be named the B.L.O.O.M. Clinic (Bringing Lasting Outcomes for Optimal Motherhood). The clinic will serve as South Carolina’s first comprehensive mobile maternity program thanks to a partnership between Clemson Rural Health and Self Regional Healthcare’s clinical departments and disciplines including obstetrics, family medicine and supporting specialties; their Guided Beginnings Program; and their collaborating community-based organization, Community Initiatives, Inc. H.O.P.E. (Healthy Opportunities for Perinatal Equity).

The B.L.O.O.M. clinic will integrate technology-enabled solutions to expand access to care and improve maternal health outcomes. Services will include preconception counseling, prenatal and postpartum care, chronic disease management, and lactation support. Patients will also benefit from remote patient monitoring, access to obstetric and maternal-fetal medicine specialists, and connections to community-based support services.

The B.L.O.O.M. Clinic will serve Abbeville, McCormick, Edgefield, and Saluda counties—areas identified as maternity deserts—bringing essential care directly to women who would otherwise face significant barriers to access.

"This is an exciting initiative that brings comprehensive maternal care to women in a cluster of maternity desert counties and will save lives of moms and babies,” said Ron Gimbel, Clemson professor and director of CRH.

Dr. Trey Moore, Family Physician, Abbeville Area Medical Center, agreed.

“This first-of-its-kind partnership in the Lakelands region allows Self Regional Healthcare and Clemson Rural Health to bring advanced maternity care directly to the highest-risk pregnant individuals in our communities,” Dr. Moore said. “By building on our hands-on approach to improving pregnancy outcomes, this program strengthens our ability to address the chronic conditions that contribute to poor birth outcomes.”

For DPH, the grant ensures that mothers from areas of South Carolina identified as needing services the most get the care they need.

“With this multi‑year investment, we are strengthening South Carolina’s commitment to improving maternal health outcomes,” said Danielle Wingo, Director of DPH’s Bureau of Maternal and Child Health. “This mobile maternity unit will create new pathways to care for individuals who face significant barriers to accessing routine services. We look forward to partnering with them to expand access to high‑quality prenatal and postpartum care in our rural communities.

—

About Clemson Rural Health

Clemson Rural Health is the organizing framework for Clemson's rural health service delivery and prevention efforts statewide - with locations including the Clemson Health Clinic at Walhalla, Clemson Health Clinic at Orangeburg, Clemson Community Primary Care – home of the Joseph F. Sullivan Center, Clemson Rural Health Support Office at Abbeville, and a fleet of Clemson Rural Health mobile health units. Our vision is to transform health outcomes in rural and underserved communities through reducing premature mortality, decreasing preventable hospitalizations, and improving overall quality of life in the regions we serve.

Clemson Rural Health is a part of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, a 21st-century land-grant college joining together a unique combination of schools and departments: Communication, Nursing, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Political Science, Psychology, Public Health Sciences and Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice. These areas have distinctive characteristics and missions – all joined together by a common thread of service to people and communities. For more information, visit ClemsonRuralHealth.org.

About Self Regional Healthcare

Self Regional Healthcare is a private, not-for-profit health system serving the Lakelands region of South Carolina. Headquartered in Greenwood, the system delivers a full continuum of care across a seven-county service area, including Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda counties.

Self Regional Healthcare provides care through its 358-bed acute care hospital, a network of physician practices and rural health clinics, partnerships with Critical Access Hospitals in Abbeville and Edgefield counties, and expanding specialty and community-based services throughout the region.

The organization is committed to improving health outcomes in rural communities by increasing access to care, strengthening the healthcare workforce, and advancing innovative models of care delivery. This includes a focused commitment to improving maternal and infant health through expanded services, strategic partnerships, and programs designed to support women before, during, and after pregnancy. For more information, visit www.selfregional.org.

###