For more than 45 years, Rural Health Services has taken the lead in providing quality, accessible health care and preventive services for the medically underserved residents of Aiken County and surrounding areas. After originating as a family planning organization in 1971, The Margaret J. Weston Medical Center was reorganized as a primary care facility in 1978, and has consistently provided uninterrupted service as Rural Health Services, Inc., a Federally Qualified Health Center.
Rural Health Services, Inc. is a not-for- profit organization that was incorporated in the state of South Carolina on March 19, 1970.
The health center is supported by fees collected from Medicaid, Medicare, private insurances, other third party payers, and fees collected directly from the patients.
In addition to the income collected from the sources identified above, a federal grant is provided by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resource Services Administration (HRSA) and Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). The federal grant has been received for more than 35 consecutive years. As a federally funded Community Health Center (CHC), the organization is held accountable to comply with federal regulations regarding the governance, management, clinical quality, and financial oversight of the health center.
The health center currently operates three locations and a medical/dental mobile unit in the county. The main site, The Clyburn Center for Primary Care is located at 1000 Clyburn Place, Aiken, SC. The Margaret J. Weston Community Health Center located at 4645 Augusta Road, Beech Island, SC, and the Family Health Care site located at 120 Darlington Drive, Aiken, SC.
Poverty and lack of access in the area create significant disparities in health indicators such as chronic diseases and health behaviors. RHS has designed its services and delivery model to provide access, eliminate these disparities, and improve outcomes across all life cycles.
The organization employs over 100 employees and is positioned to serve more than 16,000 patients in 2017.
The following services are available to the patient population: Family Medicine, Health Education, Pediatrics, X-Ray, Ob- Gyn, Outreach and Enrollment, Prenatal Care, Care Coordination, Optometry, Case Management, Dental and Pharmacy.
