Officials with the University of South Carolina cut a ribbon in front of the university's new Brain Health Center in Columbia Wednesday morning, but patients who seek care will still need to wait for the center to be fully operational.
More than 125,000 people in the state are currently living with a dementia diagnosis, according to data from the South Carolina Department of Aging and USC Office for the Study of Aging’s SC Alzheimer’s Disease Registry,
Staff at the center, which received a one-time allotment of $30 million for renovations, will help treat patients with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Patients and loved ones can start attending appointments at the facility in April or May, and services at the clinic will include infusion therapy, brain imaging and research.
The center is located on the university's $300 million Health Services Campus and will house the state's most powerful MRI scanner; a 7-Tesla MRI scanner will provide more precise brain imaging than patients in the state have been able to receive within South Carolina. North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee are the current closest options for residents who seek the 7-Tesla scanner. Julius Fridriksson, the university's vice president for research, said the instrument will be crucial in diagnosing what kind of dementia a patient has.
"It's a magnificent piece of equipment," he said. "So, a Tesla-7 MRI scanner is not what you would get in a typical hospital."
The facility will also have a 3-Tesla MRI scanner for use.
Fridriksson wanted to see an expansion of access to clinical trials for all state residents, but he referred to rural residents as potential recipients particularly at the top of his mind. USC's Brain Health Network has set clinics in municipalities like Darlington, Seneca and Orangeburg.
Taxpayers help fund the network with $5 million in annual spending. And in the South Carolina House's $15.4 billion state spending proposal that passed last week, an additional $1.5 million is included for a "Brain Health Network Expansion."
The university had sought the additional $1.5M in recurring funding to expand the network. The funding will build on the $5 million already being received.
The Orangeburg clinic is a partnership with HopeHealth and the closest partnered clinic for those most south in the Lowcountry who seek cognitive health care.
Fridriksson said the team had already begun to look at clinical trials and speak with different drug makers, although he did not share the specific parties communicated with.
"If you live in rural South Carolina, you have a very limited chance to get drugs that are in clinical trials right now. Some of those drugs might be the answer," he said.
Figures like Gov. Henry McMaster and USC President Michael Amiridis joined Fridriksson at the event. Dr. Leonardo Bonilha, too, was present. Bonilha will serve as the center's director.
