Darlington, SC – Genesis Healthcare (Genesis), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, announced it will break ground for the expansion of its Pee Dee Health Care location on Monday, Dec. 6 at 11:30 a.m. The Darlington community is invited to join the Genesis staff in commemorating this event at Pee Dee Health Care (201 Cashua St., Darlington, SC 29532).

“We are elated to begin the expansion of our Pee Dee Health Care center,” said Howard Nettles, Director of Community Outreach and Recruiting at Genesis. “This renovation will not only allow us the opportunity to better serve our current patients, but will also provide us the space to continue expanding our services to more friends and neighbors throughout the Darlington region and beyond.” 

Pee Dee Health Care, PA was originally founded in Darlington, SC in 1974 by Dr. Josiah Matthews. It became Genesis Healthcare, Inc., a nonprofit community health center, in 2010 when Dr. Matthews and Dr. Alexander Cohen donated the practices to the community. Since that time, Genesis, under the guidance of its board of directors, has maintained its commitment to provide superior care to all members of its communities regardless of their ability to pay.

The groundbreaking on Monday, Dec. 6 will mark the start of an expansion that has been planned in two phases. Phase 1 is anticipated to be completed by Oct. 1, 2022 and will cost around $10 million, including the expansion of an additional 28,000 square feet for the site along with a new parking lot. 

Phase 2 will immediately follow, including the movement of the site’s pharmacy, the addition of a space for ill patients and expansion of the health care center as a whole to accommodate more patients. Phase 2 of the Pee Dee Health Care expansion is estimated to cost approximately $2 million.

Genesis’ Pee Dee Health Care provides a wide variety of health care services to Darlington and its surrounding community. For more information on Genesis and its services, visit www.genesisfqhc.org. 

Genesis Healthcare, a nonprofit, Federally Qualified Health Center serving the Pee Dee and Colleton county areas of South Carolina, is thrilled to announce their partnership with the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie. Joining forces to improve the health of their communities and enrich the lives of those who surround them, this partnership has hit the ground running.

In partnership with USC Salkehatchie, Genesis Healthcare is pleased to announce the first recipient of the Genesis Healthcare Scholarship for pre-nursing and nursing students, Kayla Robertson. A mother of two boys, ages 7 and 12, Kayla has worked in the healthcare field for the last 11 years as a certified pharmacy technician. Inspired by the care her father received while facing health problems of his own, Kayla decided to embark on a new educational journey that would allow her to move beyond the retail environment and make a profound difference in her community by pursuing a nursing career. 

“The nursing profession needs more compassionate, driven hands to care for others in our community. I enjoy helping others and cannot wait to make a difference,” Kayla said.   
 
With the program’s 6-year, 100% NCLEX-RN pass rate coupled with the close proximity to her home and family, USC Salkehatchie was the perfect fit for Kayla. Through their dedicated staff and incredible academic opportunities, Kayla can receive the best possible training without leaving her community.   

 “I am aware that nursing school is very demanding and challenging, but I am up for the challenge,” Kayla said. 

As an organization centered around community enrichment, Genesis continuously strives for ways to make a meaningful impact. This scholarship, awarded August 3, 2021, provided funds in September 2021 to be used for the 2021-2022 academic year. Additional funds will be forthcoming in January of 2022 for the same purpose of serving these students. The funds are intended for spendable scholarship awards and will be distributed in full each academic year in order to further educational excellence and foster a community in which everyone has the opportunity to grow and give back.  
 
Genesis is honored to watch Kayla grow both personally and professionally through USC Salkehatchie’s nursing program. Helping our community is at the very core of what we do at Genesis, and we are fortunate enough to help Kayla achieve her academic goals and further this mission.

For more information about the Genesis Healthcare Scholarship and the nursing program at USC Salkehatchie visit uscsalkehatchie.sc.edu.

Pictured: Howard Nettles, Genesis Healthcare Director of Community Outreach and Recruiting; Kayla Robertson, scholarship recipient; and April Cone, DNP, MSN, RN Clinical Assistant Professor/Nursing Academic Program Manager, USC Beaufort/USC Salkehatchie

On Tuesday, August 3rd, Genesis Healthcare partnered with Harvest Hope, Molina and WelVista to provide members of the Olanta community with back to school supplies. Together, we handed out over 125 back packs filled with school supplies and 150 boxes of food provided by Harvest Hope of the Pee Dee.

Thanks to all who came out and joined us for this event!

Our Genesis Healthcare team is proud to partner with Darlington County First Steps’ Men’s Health Collaborative and the Town of Lamar to present our second Men’s Health Care symposium.

Men to Men will be held on Thursday, June 17 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at Lamar Town Hall. We look forward to seeing you there as we serve our community!