Clemson University to contract with MUSC Health for new student health center
Clemson University wants to contract with the Medical University of South Carolina hospital system to build and run a new student health center on campus.
A legislative oversight committee gave the initial nod Tuesday to the $73 million project, which the Upstate college says will help hold down student health care costs and replace its aging facility. The project still needs approval next week from a five-member financial oversight panel chaired by the governor.
It could mark MUSC's second such arrangement at a South Carolina college and the first outside of Charleston. The proposal is modeled after MUSC's relationship at The Citadel, according to documents provided to the Joint Bond Review Committee.
Clemson's existing Redfern Health Center is 56 years old, built when the university had a student population of just 6,700. Since then, Clemson's enrollment has increased four-fold, yet the college has not expanded or renovated the center since it was constructed.
Plans call for the Medical University Hospital Authority to spend $61 million to help build the new, 90,000-square-foot center, with Clemson chipping in $3 million, and a pair of federal grants covering the remainder.
If Clemson were to pursue the project alone, it would have to pass the cost on to students, the school wrote in its proposal.
Instead, Clemson will simply turn over to MUSC the existing health fees charged to students when they enroll. As part of the deal, that fee will stay flat for the first five years of operation, potentially saving students more money on health care.
According to Clemson, student health care costs have been escalating since the COVID-19 pandemic at an average rate of 6% per year.
Students currently pay $182 per semester. There will be an additional $66 fee for any students who stay on campus for the summer session.
That fee covers the cost of doctor's visits, counseling, and telemedicine urgent care, according to Clemson's health services website. It does not cover prescriptions, vaccinations, lab tests, X-rays, psychiatric treatment, gynecological exams, routine physical exams or procedures, such as stitches.
MUSC will bill students for those additional services 'in a manner that does not burden Clemson students or their families but is expected to generate additional revenue,' according to documents provided by the two organizations.
Students who are on their parents' insurance policy can continue to use that coverage. MUSC will bill the insurance company.
'All students will continue to have access to student healthcare regardless of their financial status,' according to a joint letter from MUSC and Clemson.
It will also bring an end to Clemson's current, 'archaic' billing model for health services, which withholds diplomas and prevents students from enrolling in classes if they have an outstanding medical bill. A Clemson spokesman did not immediately respond to questions from the SC Daily Gazette about that policy.
MUSC will reinvest any excess revenue back into Clemson Health.
The school and the hospital system expect to sign the 30-year deal in January 2026 and complete construction in July 2027. At the end of the lease term, MUSC will transfer ownership of the facility to Clemson.
In addition to health care for students, Clemson and MUSC also plan to work together on more health-related research projects, as well as joint degree programs.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
7 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
He built one of America's bestselling wine brands. Now he's demanding ‘hundreds of millions' in court
A wine behemoth's former president filed a lawsuit on Tuesday claiming he's owed 'hundreds of millions of dollars' for his stake in one of America's bestselling wine brands. Tom Steffanci, who was the president of international wine corporation Deutsch Family Wines & Spirits for more than 15 years, has petitioned the New York Supreme Court over his former employer's refusal to buy him out of a 10% stake in Josh Cellars, which the filing estimates is 'valued in the billions.' 'This case exposes the dark underbelly of the adage that blood is thicker than water,' stated the lawsuit, which accused Deutsch of 'unlawfully' reneging on its 'obligation' to buy Steffanci out. Tuesday's filing is the latest development in an ongoing legal conflict between Steffanci and Deutsch. In a company statement, Deutsch, the seventh-largest U.S. wine company that's best known for importing the cheap Australian wine brand Yellow Tail, pointed to a lawsuit it filed against Steffanci in April "detailing allegations of wrongdoing" and said "the company looks forward to pursuing its legal remedies against Mr. Steffanci in that previously filed case." Deutsch also made headlines in May when two of its former executives pleaded guilty to a $360,000 bribery scheme. Josh Cellars was founded by Joseph Carr, a former president of the wine corporation Mildara Blass, which later merged into what is now Treasury Wine Estates. Named for his beer-drinking dad Josh, Carr set out to create an affordable California Cabernet Sauvignon. Launched in 2009, Josh was seemingly an overnight success, gaining national distribution early on. According to the filing, Steffanci identified an opportunity in 2011 for the company to 'invest in a small California wine brand with big potential: Josh Cellars.' Deutsch acquired 50% of the Josh trademark and managed all sales, marketing and winemaking. (The deal included Carr's eponymous, higher-end Napa Valley wine brand, Joseph Carr.) A year later, the company bought Carr out, but retained him as the face of Josh. Steffanci's leadership grew Josh into a 'multi-billion-dollar juggernaut,' the petition stated. It's the fastest-growing premium wine brand in the U.S., sold in virtually every liquor and grocery store across the country. In 2012, Josh was making roughly 130,000 cases annually, according to the filing. Today, it produces more than 7 million cases across over 20 labels, which typically sell for $15-$20 per bottle. The brand was featured in a COVID-19 pandemic-themed Saturday Night Live sketch and has gone viral, inspiring tongue-in-cheek memes and catchphrases. According to the petition, Steffanci signed a 12-year employment contract with Deutsch in 2013, which included the chance to purchase a 10% equity stake in the Josh Cellars and Joseph Carr trademarks. The contract stipulated that Steffanci could only sell it back to the company when his employment came to an end, according to the filing. He would forfeit the rights to cash out if he were terminated for cause or quit 'without good reason' before the end of his contract in March 2025. In 2020, while still employed at the company, Steffanci sued Deutsch, claiming it owed him royalties for his investment. A federal judge has since stayed the proceedings, and negotiations to extend Steffanci's contract broke down. Early this year, Deutsch announced the hiring of a new president, high-profile sports executive Mike Dee. In April, six days after Steffanci's employment ended, Deutsch filed a countersuit against Steffanci in Connecticut Superior Court. The lawsuit argued that Steffanci was not entitled to royalties or a buyout because he allegedly breached his contract agreement. The company claimed, for example, that Steffanci used his company email address to conduct business for his wine company, Boyanci Wines, and shared confidential company information with several people, including his wife and a banker. Tuesday's petition — which seeks to force Deutsch to obtain a third-party valuation of Josh's trademarks and subsequently buy him out for his portion — described the company's allegations as 'a shameless attempt to smear Steffanci's reputation.' Deutsch allegedly claimed it had discovered the breaches months ago, the filing stated, but chose not to terminate Steffanci. Instead, Deutsch 'continued to court' him for a contract renewal, and is now attempting to 'retroactively declare' that the contract agreement was breached. 'It defies logic,' the filing continued, 'that the Deutsch family would continue to negotiate a multi-year tenure extension with an executive who they genuinely believed deserved to be fired.' This article has been updated to include a statement from Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits.
American Press
11 hours ago
- American Press
Sulphur business owner found not guilty of stealing COVID funds
Jenilea Pena was found not guilty of stealing federal funds issued to small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Special to the American Press) A Sulphur woman accused of stealing nearly $100,000 in federal funds issued to small businesses during the COVID pandemic has been cleared of wrong doing. This week a unanimous jury found Jenilea Pena not guilty of wire fraud and making false statements to the government. Pena was one of three owners of Planet Nutrition in Sulphur, owning 25 percent of the business. An indictment filed in federal court on March 20, 2024, claimed Pena filed for a small business loan in 2020 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act without the knowledge of the majority owner. According to the indictment, Pena was accused of using $97,000 of the loan for her own personal use and submitting a fictitious document signed by the majority owner. After a four-day trial, the jury returned a not guilty verdict late Thursday on both counts. Faced with the option to plead to a misdemeanor, 'Jenilea chose the harder path — the path of principle,' according to her attorney, Adam Johnson. 'She stood firm, confident that the truth would prevail. And it did.' Johnson said though Pena was falsely accused, 'she never lost faith in the process, in her integrity or in her God.' 'This verdict is more than a legal outcome,' Johnson said 'It is a restoration of reputation, a reaffirmation of character, and a reminder that justice — though sometimes delayed — is still possible. Jenilea and her family endured a long and painful chapter, but they did so with strength, grace and unwavering resolve.'
CNBC
13 hours ago
- CNBC
These three stocks have a strong chance of topping Wall Street estimates, says FBB's Mike Bailey
Google parent-company Alphabet is among a handful of stocks that could surprise to the upside when it reports earnings later this month, according to FBB Capital Partners director of research Mike Bailey. Alphabet stock was one of three companies that Bailey said he's watching on " Power Lunch " on Friday. Danaher Danaher also has a track record of beating earnings estimates, Bailey said. Still, the life sciences stock has slipped nearly 11% so far in 2025. Bailey pinned some of its past struggles on difficult comparisons coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as some "misses" with acquisitions. However, he expects trends are turning, settin up for an earnings beat on July 22, he said. DHR YTD mountain Danaher stock in 2025. "The reason I think it's a good name to own into earnings season is really fewer distractions could drive more earnings," Bailey said. "As they work through some of these issues, along with tariffs ... it does seem like this game of whack-a-mole could be coming to an end and they could have some good results in Q2." Progressive Progressive stock has ticked up more than 2% so far this year. The insurance company is set to report second-quarter results on Wednesday. The bar for earnings estimates is low, said Bailey, which could help Progressive notch an earnings beat. "At this point, I think we're in pretty good shape. If you look back at the last two months, Wall Street only took up estimates basically in-line with how good April [and] May was," Bailey said. "They really haven't taken things up, so June doesn't look that aggressive." PGR YTD mountain Progressive stock in 2025. "However, we could be looking at 60%, 70% earnings growth quarter-over-quarter out of a car insurance company that just almost boggles the mind." Alphabet Stock in the Google-parent company has pulled back roughly 5% so far in 2025. Some of the lingering questions about Google search performance could get answered when the company reports its results on July 23. Investors also want to see strength in its cloud and YouTube segments, which should drive a strong quarterly result. GOOGL YTD mountain Google stock in 2025. "The theme of this quarter is all about competition — in particular AI competition," Bailey said. "The other stuff at Alphabet is doing pretty well ... [but] looking at those paid clicks, that is very critical." "It is kind of a question, but I think given everything else at Alphabet that's working well, margins have also been helping them out, I do think that's something that's going to push them over the finish line. If you look at the track record, very good job historically in terms of beating quarterly expectations, so we do see another good result coming up here in a few weeks," he said.
