South Carolina awards $167 million in rural health grants from Newberry

Newberry Health received nearly $11 million for a dozen projects Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026.

Henry McMaster and other state officials traveled to Newberry Health hospital Tuesday to announce the awards.

Newberry is getting new MRI and CT scanners.

A mobile health van will provide care in a dozen counties and in natural disasters across the state.

The agency only had enough money to approve 227 of the applications.

The program was created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The act will cost South Carolina hospitals about $1.8 billion a year when fully implemented, according to the South Carolina Hospital Association.

Newberry Health's CT scanner does not have heart-health capabilities, CEO John Snow said.

Newberry Health will expand operating rooms, upgrade computers against cyberthreats, and add physical security.

Snow said the hospital had already planned the upgrades and can now use federal dollars so it can spend its own money on other needs.

AnMed announced it returned to normal operations Tuesday after a months-long recovery from a cybersecurity attack.

The state approved AnMed for $4 million, including $1.7 million for IT improvements.

Six rural hospitals in South Carolina have closed since 2010, according to a 2023 legislative study.

South Carolina hospitals generally operate on margins between 0% and 4%, according to the Hospital Association.

The Palmetto Care Connections van will also be available for disaster recovery.

Self Regional Healthcare was awarded nearly $31 million across eight hospitals.

South Carolina doled out funds across eight categories including chronic disease, remote monitoring, community care, facilities, workforce, mobile crisis, IT, and training.

Rural hospital margins are the thinnest because they spread costs over a smaller population.

Rural hospitals tend to have a greater percentage of patients on Medicare and Medicaid.

MUSC Health received nearly $19 million across four rural hospitals and the system.

Hampton Regional Medical Center received $13 million.

All but five of South Carolina's 46 counties have at least one hospital or emergency center.

Eunice Medina said the state held back funds to study South Carolina's greatest rural health needs.

Most of the money went to facility improvements, followed by IT.

The study will help the agency decide how to distribute money over the next four years.

Applicants were notified of funding decisions on July 31, 2026.

The state gave $4.3 million to Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to expand mobile crisis response.

The state is using $44.9 million to modernize health IT systems.

That IT spending includes $6.8 million at the South Carolina Department of Corrections.

McLeod Health in Dillon received money for a specialized obstetrical surgical robot.

Prisma Health received $7.7 million for facility work, remote monitoring, chronic-disease care, and community care sites.

The grants went to large providers such as Prisma Health and Self Regional and to smaller providers.

The average price of gas in South Carolina reached $4 per gallon on Tuesday.

Henry McMaster voiced opposition to calls for suspending the state's gas tax.

FEMA funding will help repair electric lines and clear Hurricane Helene debris in Georgia and South Carolina, including around Sandersville.