Georgetown Pediatric Center is nestled on a quiet side street in Georgetown, a small building providing a lifeline to their rural community's smallest patients. The clinic, as part of St. James-Santee Family Health Center, Inc. (SJSFHC) cares for 6,000 patients each year using unique methods tailored to meet their rural community's needs.

"This clinic is a staple of the community," says SJSFHC CEO Sandra Gilliard. The healthcare provider partnered with South Carolina Community Loan Fund to purchase this practice in 2015. The clinic now sees patients until 7pm on weekdays and is open Saturdays as well as many holidays. These hours help parents cut down on emergency room visits and remove some of the barriers to access for working families or those with limited access to transportation. "It's just part of meeting the needs of a rural community," Gilliard says.

Through the use of Telehealth medicine, SJSFHC is breaking another barrier to access by providing an opportunity for patients to consult with specialists. The clinic collaborates with specialists at the Medical University of South Carolina to provide weekly sickle cell clinics as well as consultations with nutritionists, orthopedics, and pediatric mental health. "Families love being able to use Telehealth. Otherwise they would be driving to Charleston to receive these services," says Gilliard.

Nearly 750,000 South Carolinians make their homes in rural communities, which is why organizations like SJSFHC are vital to the well-being of so many in our state. We are working to help rural communities in all corners of South Carolina  by providing access to capital to those who know their communities best. Learn more about community facility financing options, as well as additional financing options available in rural census tracts, on our website.