Friday, May 9, 2025
5/9/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - Clemson University is a nationally acclaimed, research university with broad impact in the state, regional, and national economy. Located in rural upstate South Carolina, Clemson fosters economic growth, workforce development, and social mobility for thousands of citizens every year. Clemson enrolls over 27,000 students, including 21,400 undergraduate students that live on and around the University’s campus. Given Clemson’s rural location, the surrounding communities do not have sufficient medical infrastructure to provide adequate healthcare to Clemson’s student population. Based on Clemson’s 2019-2020 Patient Satisfaction Survey, 92% of CU students consider Clemson’s student health facility, Redfern Health Center, to be their primary care provider. As a result, the need to provide healthcare to students falls disproportionally on the University as compared to other universities nationally. Additionally, demand for mental health services among the college age population has greatly increased. National data indicates that from August 2020–February 2021, the percentage of adults with recent anxiety or depressive symptoms increased from 36.4% to 41.5% with the largest increase among 18–29-year-olds. University counseling center directors report an ongoing increase in both level of use of counseling services and severity of presenting symptoms. Redfern Health Center was constructed in 1969 when Clemson had a student population of approximately 6,700. Since that time, the University’s enrollment has increased four-fold, but Redfern has not been significantly expanded or renovated. Inadequate space and delayed upgrades are an ongoing, increasingly critical concern. An expanded and more modern Health Center will enable Clemson to maintain the highest level of service delivery for the growing student body and support implementation of additional services and programs. Updates to Redfern are urgently needed to continue meeting the highest quality standards encompassed in Joint Commission Accreditation. The University has approximately 0.8 net square feet of space per student for healthcare delivery compared to the national average of 1.46 (ACHA, 2009). These limitations also mean that the University has fewer medical staff per student relative to its peers. The University’s proposal would replace the existing health clinic by constructing approximately 79,500 sq. ft. of space dedicated to student healthcare delivery. In doing so, Clemson would employ an integrated delivery model, incorporating best practices to enhance healthcare delivery while also lowering overall costs through a coordinated approach to student health and wellness. The existing space would be repurposed for other University needs. This construction would enable the University to co-locate physicians in the traditional medicine practice along with mental health counselors and wellness/well-being programs and other services essential to the health, safety, and academic success of CU students. This planned facility would allow for delivery of robust in-person care for appropriate and acute cases and enhance telemedicine capabilities, offering safe, confidential follow-ups, medication management, and chronic disease management. As need increases for healthcare, new facilities allow for continued expansion of our partnerships with regional healthcare entities to provide student access to services not readily available in the immediate surrounding community. Preliminary studies indicate the cost of this facility would range from $70-80 million and the University is requesting $6 million in federal funding.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).