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Medical professionals analyzing detailed brain MRI images on a diagnostic workstation, reviewing potential signs of neurological disease.

USC Neurological Hospital and Rehabilitation Center

The University of South Carolina is building the state’s first standalone medical facility fully dedicated to care of the brain and nervous system. The facility will give South Carolinians with strokes, neurological conditions or brain injuries access to world-class care — most within three hours of home.

Advanced Care for a Critical Gap

South Carolina ranks high for stroke and traumatic brain injury related deaths and for residents living with chronic neurological disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The new hospital and rehabilitation center will provide fast, in-state access to inpatient clinical care and specialists that many South Carolinians can't access now.

  • Medical students in white coats talk with a professor in a classroom setting during a teaching-hospital training session.

    Integrated Expertise

    Collaborating with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab — U.S.News & World Report's No. 1-ranked rehabilitation hospital since 1991 — on facility design, clinical programming and operations planning.

  • Aerial view of Columbia’s BullStreet District, showing the future Health Sciences Campus location for the neurological hospital.

    Prime Location

    250,000+ square foot facility in the Health Sciences Campus, located in downtown Columbia’s BullStreet District.

  • Researcher looking at brain imaging scans on a monitor, highlighting advanced neurological research and diagnostic technology.

    Cutting-Edge Research

    Innovative technology and expanded capabilities transform research discoveries into enhanced patient treatment.

  • Clinician and nursing student work together at a patient’s bedside, demonstrating team-based neurological care and training.

    Teaching Hospital

    Specialists and preeminent care teams can educate generations of future cognitive care providers and researchers.

Purpose and Promise

Today, South Carolinians have limited access to advanced neurological care and rehabilitation, forcing many to seek care elsewhere which affects outcomes and quality of life. As the first facility in the Southeast to offer acute, surgical and rehabilitation care under one roof, the hospital and rehabilitation center will improve life for current and future South Carolinians.

Woman walking down a hallway using a rollator walker, representing recovery and mobility support after neurological injury.

“South Carolina has been deemed a neurology desert, ranking among five states with the most significant projected gap between the available neurology workforce and the health needs of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”

Ashton Houghton, Executive Director at Alzheimer’s Association, South Carolina Chapter

Advancing Cognitive Care

The neurological hospital and rehabilitation center is a vital step in our commitment to advancing cognitive care. Through the USC Brain Health Initiative, we've expanded comprehensive diagnostic and outpatient services to seven key locations across the state — improving access to care, advanced imaging and essential support services.

Smiling woman in an exercise facility lifting a kettlebell, illustrating physical therapy used in neurological rehabilitation.
Finlay Park waterfall with downtown Columbia, South Carolina skyline in the background on a clear day.

Close to Home

Whether through statewide Brain Health clinics or state-of-the-art inpatient treatment in Columbia, South Carolinians will have enhanced access to advanced neurological expertise. It’s a level of care that comes with new research, treatment and rehabilitation options that can transform life after a stroke, injury or cognitive illness.

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