Boeing Co. and the Charleston County School District (CCSD) each announced a $ 1 million investment in the Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness (BCCW) at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) on Sept. 13 to support the Program offering around resources for children’s mental health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding from Boeing and CCSD will support the current school-based wellness initiative while expanding mental health for schools in Charleston County. Support includes classroom teacher training to help children find appropriate coping mechanisms and ways to manage stress, as well as the integration of MUSC Telehealth to provide high quality, evidence-based, trauma-focused mental health services to children in a school setting. In addition, this funding will support the development of a plan to substantially change and improve the mental health system.
“Through the partnership, MUSC, Boeing and the Charleston County School District have achieved significant results in reducing child obesity and improving student well-being,” said David J. Cole, MD, FACS, MUSC president. “We are so grateful to our friends at Boeing and CCSD for believing in us, sharing our spirit of innovation, and remaining important partners in improving the well-being of children and their families. These funds will go a long way toward helping the MUSC Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness meet the growing need for psychosocial support in schools. “
Boeing, a leading global aerospace company with an assembly facility for its Commercial Airplanes division in North Charleston, co-founded BCCW ten years ago with his fundamental support.
“Boeing is incredibly proud of this partnership because together we are building on the success of the MUSC Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness, the expertise of the Medical University of South Carolina and the dedication and commitment of the Charleston County School District for students, employees, and families” said Jennifer Lowe, vice chairman of National Strategy and Engagement at Boeing. “With this investment, MUSC and the BCCW will be able to provide resources for the physical and mental health of children while also freeing space for the Charleston County School District to focus on their core business of academic achievement.”
The CCSD is the second largest school system in South Carolina, serving approximately 49,000 students in 88 schools and specialized programs.
“Providing quality mental health services to our students and solid training for our staff are essential to ensure our children have the tools they need to recover from the effects of COVID-19,” said Rev. Eric Mack, CCSD Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “We undoubtedly know that our students have suffered profound loss in many ways over the past year, and we need to find ways to unite as a community to pool our resources and support around our greatest asset – our children.”
For the past decade, MUSC BCCW, which reaches 17 school districts in South Carolina, has focused on wellness and obesity prevention by working directly with schools to implement programs promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and socio-emotional learning . The programs have shown positive results in terms of body mass index, asthma, school attendance and bans / referrals, and high school graduation rates. With Boeing and CCSD investments, MUSC BCCW will expand school wellbeing to include more targeted mental health support using MUSC Health’s relationships with schools, government agencies and extensive expertise.
“The Boeing Company is once again leading the way in supporting our efforts to address the needs of children by working with schools. They supported our initial work to turn the tide of childhood obesity and have now recognized the current need in the community – improved mental health services, “said Janice Key, MD, executive director, Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness.
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About MUSC
Founded in Charleston in 1824, MUSC is home to the oldest medical school in the South and the state’s only integrated academic health sciences center, with a unique mission to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy. MUSC raised more than $ 271 million in biomedical research funding in fiscal 2020 and continues to be a leader in the state in raising funds from the National Institutes of Health, with more than $ 129.9 million. For information on academic programs, see musc.edu.
As the Medical University of South Carolina’s clinical health system, MUSC Health is committed to delivering the best possible patient care while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. With approximately 2,000 beds, more than 100 outreach locations, the MUSC College of Medicine, Medical Practice Plan, and nearly 275 telemedicine locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eleven hospitals in Charleston, Chester, Fairfield, Florence, Kershaw, Lancaster, and Marion Richland Counties. In 2021, for the seventh consecutive year, US News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 Hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.
MUSC and its affiliates have a combined annual budget of $ 4.4 billion. MUSC’s 20,000+ team members include world-class faculties, physicians, specialist providers, and academics who deliver breakthrough education, research, technology, and patient care.
