Summerton receives AARP Community Challenge Grant to run “Cross My Heart Free Mobile Clinic"

The Town of Summerton is thrilled to announce we have been selected to receive a 2021 AARP Community Challenge grant. The town is one of only 233 grantees selected from across all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 
With this “quick action” grant, students will design, build, and staff a mobile clinic that will bring healthcare to residents’ doors. The 'Cross My Heart Free Mobile Clinic' will be led by a Nurse Practitioner and staffed by a rotation of student nurses from Midlands Technical College, Central Carolina Technical College (CCTC) and University of South Carolina College
of Nursing.

 
“We are incredibly excited to support the Town of Summerton as they work to bring improved
access to health services for the town’s residents. The Cross My Heart Free Mobile Clinic is a
promising idea we hope will jumpstart long-term change,” said Teresa Arnold, AARP South
Carolina State Director. “Our goal at AARP South Carolina is to support the efforts of our
communities to be great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities to live, work, retire and enjoy their lives.”

 
The various partners of this initiative will provide primary healthcare services to rural Clarendon County residents who have limited or no access to medical services, which will help improve the overall health and wellness of the people of Summerton. With a population of approximately 1,000 residents, the Cross My Heart Free Mobile Clinic will offer citizens much needed access to a wide variety of health services.

 

The mobile clinic will offer a very effective way to help reach patients who forgo preventative care because they can’t afford it. “The Town of Summerton is extremely proud that AARP selected us to receive this grant,” stated Cedric Liqueur, Development Director for the Town of Summerton. “AARP is a nationwide leader making neighborhoods, towns, and cities more livable for all residents and we are honored that they see the tangible value this project will bring to our community.”