Posted 7/22/2008

South Carolina Public Health Institute
receives $886,000 Duke grant

The South Carolina Public Health Institute has received a significant boost to its continued growth and development through a three-year, $886,000 grant from The Duke Endowment.

This award will support the work of SCPHI as it expands its mission to promote informed policies, effective leadership, and strategic prevention efforts designed to improve the public’s health.

“We are grateful for the investment that The Duke Endowment has made in the Public Health Institute and in the future of our state,” said Dr. Donna Richter, executive director of SCPHI. “This funding will allow for important growth to occur and will position the Institute to be a driving force in promoting a healthier future for all South Carolinians.”

The Duke grant provides core support for SCPHI staff and operations and will allow for expansion of key programs, such as an existing prenatal outreach program for Latina women.

That program, which currently serves Hispanic communities in the Midlands region, will expand statewide under the new funding.

"The Duke Endowment is pleased to support the important work of the South Carolina Public Health Institute," said Mary Piepenbring, Director of Health Care for The Duke Endowment. "The Institute's leadership and dedicated staff are playing a key role in enhancing the quality of life for citizens in South Carolina, and we applaud their innovation and commitment."

Additional work in the public policy arena is also planned, allowing SCPHI to work alongside key partners to promote public health priorities.

SCPHI was established in 2007 through a collaborative venture between the Arnold School of Public Health and the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).

“The Public Health Institute benefits from partnerships that will serve us well as we continue to grow,” said Richter. “Our strong partnership with DHEC has been a key factor in our early success, as has support from the USC Office of Research and Health Sciences.”

SCPHI is currently designated as an “emerging” member of the National Network of Public Health Institutes. NNPHI member institutes represent a diverse array of entities that work in collaboration with federal, state, and local public health agencies, private-sector partners, academia and other organizations to foster innovations that improve the public’s health.

SCPHI has recently completed a thorough strategic planning process and is now working to establish a statewide advisory council and expand both its partnerships and programmatic activity.

The Duke Endowment, in Charlotte, N.C., seeks to fulfill the legacy of James B. Duke by enriching lives and communities in the Carolinas through higher education, health care, rural churches and children's services. With assets of over $3 billion, the Endowment has awarded more than $2.4 billion in grants since its inception in 1924.