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The Medical University of South Carolina sued six of its own doctors Monday, alleging the physicians hatched a plan to quit their jobs, go work for a rival hospital and then use proprietary information to help develop a competing cancer treatment facility.

In a lawsuit filed in Charleston County’s court of common pleas, lawyers for MUSC asked a judge to issue a temporary injunction to stop what it describes as the “wholesale departure of physicians, nurses, technicians, staff and fellows” to Trident Medical Center.

The suit further claims the departing physicians not only sought to help North Charleston-based Trident establish a new specialized cancer practice, but also attempted to “cripple” MUSC’s head and neck department so that it could not compete with the new treatment center.

“The conduct of all defendants impacts the public interest and is immoral, unethical and oppressive,” lawyers for MUSC argued in the suit, claiming that their conduct had “the specific intent of completely eradicating MUSC” as a competitor and would result in leaving the public with “fewer choices in the area of head and neck cancer treatment.”

The lawsuit was filed against HCA Healthcare, a for-profit, Tennessee-based health system that owns owns Trident, along with MUSC doctors Terry A Day, Betsy Kay Davis, Joshua D. Hornig, Eric J. Lentsch, David M. Neskey and Anand K. Sharma.

In an emailed statement provided to The State newspaper, Trident Medical disputed the accusations.

“Physicians make independent decisions about their affiliations and frequently move their practice locations,” Trident spokesman Rod Whiting said. “These physicians decided that Trident Medical Center is the best hospital for them and their patients, and a last-minute lawsuit should not keep cancer patients from getting the care they need.”

MUSC is seeking an injunction hearing on or before Dec. 1, which is also the resignation date for the six doctors who are leaving MUSC’s head and neck oncology division to go and work for Trident.

All of the doctors named in the suit are part of MUSC’s head and neck oncology division, which provides treatment for cancers located in the head and neck.

In the lawsuit, MUCS claims Trident routinely transfers many critically ill patients to MUSC, the region’s only Level I trauma center, because Trident lacks the ability to provide the necessary specialized care and resources those patients need.

MUSC further alleges that without the help of its doctors and the confidential and proprietary information they unlawfully obtained, Trident “would not be able to quickly establish the facilities, processes and procedures to perform these complicated head and neck procedures.”

Attorneys for MUSC estimate it would take eight to 10 years for Trident to independently develop a process for these treatments and surgeries.

Trident said that’s not true.

“We are well-positioned to care for head and neck patients and are excited these physicians have chosen to be part of the Trident Medical Center team,” Whiting said.

Along with a 38-page complaint and 47-page motion for a temporary injunction, MUSC also submitted 368 pages of exhibits to the court.

The documents include copies of emails sent on MUSC servers in which Trident Health officials and MUSC doctors discuss salaries, employment agreements and how to handle their departures from the medical university.

Raymond DuBois, the dean of MUSC’s College of Medicine and the director of the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, said the school’s fellowship program in head and neck oncology is now “under attack” in an affidavit.

“In my entire career, I have never seen or heard of a group of physicians engage in a wholesale abandonment of their students, colleagues and patients similar to what the defendant physicians have orchestrated over the past several months,” DuBois said in his affidavit.

MUSC also said in its lawsuit that the doctors sent emails to Trident Health officials detailing specific tools and instruments, supplies, room setups, pharmaceuticals, and processes necessary for each type of procedure.

MUSC says this information, which is found in physician preference cards, are confidential and proprietary information that belongs to MUSC — not to any individual physician or employee.

The suit also claims Lentsch, one of the doctors, received an advance payment of $16,000 under the condition that if he left MUSC during the 2022 fiscal year, he would have to repay the money.

Despite singing a memo agreeing to those terms in July and announcing his notice on Nov. 30, which is part of the 2022 fiscal year, MUSC claims Lentsch deposited the $16,000 check and has no intention of paying them back.

In the six months leading up to their resignations, the six doctors in MUSC’s cancer program collectively took more than 1,000 hours of leave, and their productivity dropped by about 25% from the same period a year earlier, MUSC said in its lawsuit.

A hearing date has not yet been set.

This story was originally published November 24, 2021 2:43 PM.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Cannonborough Beverage Company, a craft soda company, today announced plans to expand operations in Charleston County. The project will create 22 new jobs.

Founded in 2012, Cannonborough Beverage Company produces craft sodas and mixers made from whole ingredients including fruits, herbs and spices.

Located at 1750 Signal Point Road in Charleston, Cannonborough Beverage Company’s expansion will increase the company’s capacity and production capabilities. The company also plans to add a commissary kitchen.

The expansion of the company’s production facility is currently in progress. Individuals interested in joining the Cannonborough Beverage Company team should visit the company’s contact page.

QUOTES

"We are very proud to announce this exciting milestone for the company. Not only will this new production facility allow us to expand our operations to keep up with growing demand, it will allocate newly renovated food production space for other food businesses and is an opportunity to give back to a community that has been so supportive of Cannonborough Sodas. The generosity of Charleston area businesses to share their space, knowledge and experience with us over the last nine years has made a big impact on the company. To be able to pay that forward to the next generation of food entrepreneurs in Charleston is something we're very excited about." -Cannonborough Beverage Company Co-Founders Mick Matricciano and Matt Fendley

"Today we congratulate a homegrown business – Cannonborough Beverage Company – on their success in the Palmetto State. We look forward to watching them continue to grow in Charleston County for years to come.”-Gov. Henry McMaster

“South Carolina continues to attract investments from companies of all types, and today’s announcement by Cannonborough Beverage Company is proof of that. Team South Carolina celebrates their growth, and we look forward to their continued success.” -Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III

“We’re pleased to see a local company not only expanding, but planning to source more agricultural products from South Carolina farmers. This is a great example of the teamwork that makes agribusiness our state’s No. 1 industry.” -Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers

“Our community has a passion for homegrown products, and we are excited to see what the future has in store for the growing craft soda market. Congratulations to Cannonborough Beverage Company on their expansion and establishing permanent roots in our community.” -Charleston County Council Chairman Teddie Pryor

A South Carolina hospital system that for the last 165 years has cared for the sick and injured on the low-lying Charleston peninsula announced that it is moving to higher ground.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare said Wednesday that it must relocate its flagship hospital from its current downtown location so that patients can “more easily access care closer to where they live and work.”

The health system also said in its 10-year strategic plan that the hospital also needs to be in a building that is “upgraded to better withstand natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes and earthquakes.”

Roper Hospital is located on Calhoun Street in Charleston’s flood-prone medical mile, where chronic flooding impacts three major health systems: Roper St. Francis, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and the Medical University of South Carolina, the region’s only Level I trauma center.

Though Roper Hospital has not said yet where it plans to go, its departure marks the first evacuation from Charleston’s medical district.

“Who we are has always been more important than where we are,” Roper St. Francis CEO Dr. Jeffrey DiLisi said in a video published on the health system’s website.

The soon-to-be-announced building will be the fourth location for Roper Hospital since it opened downtown in 1856. DiLisi said in a statement that he expects to announce the new Roper Hospital location in the coming weeks.

“Today, I make this promise that whether you live in downtown Charleston or the farthest reaches of Berkeley, Dorchester and Charleston counties, Roper St. Francis Healthcare will be a short drive away to serve your health care needs,” DiLisi said. “This strategic plan serves as our beacon to making primary and specialty care services more convenient for all of the communities we serve.”

The decision by Roper Hospital to move off the peninsula is the latest and one of the most dramatic examples of how climate change is impacting this coastal port city, which last year saw a record number of high-tide flooding and is currently in the process of building a sea wall to keep out storm surge.

The city has also had a change of heart when it comes to allowing residents to elevate their historic homes.

While moving Roper Hospital off the peninsula is a “focal point” of the Roper St. Francis Healthcare 2030 plan, the health system on Wednesday also announced other changes ahead.

It plans to expand its Berkeley County Hospital, upgrade its electronic medical records system and expand its medical services to growing parts of the region.

For example, this week, the health system said it has purchased property near the corner of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard and Mathis Ferry Road in Mount Pleasant.

The town of Mount Pleasant, located just east of peninsular Charleston over the iconic Arthur Ravenel Bridge, has seen its population grow by nearly 33% in the last decade, according to the latest 2020 Census data. It is now the fourth-largest place in South Carolina, based on population estimates, right behind North Charleston.

Even as Roper Hospital charts its departure from the peninsula, other health systems have continued to build downtown. Last year, right next to Roper Hospital, MUSC opened its Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital.

However, both the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and MUSC have also expanded their footprints beyond the Charleston peninsula.

In recent years, the Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina has looked to expand its physical footprint around the state, with plans in Indian Land, Berkeley County and Kingstree. The most recent expansion effort included the purchase of two hospitals in the Midlands — Columbia-based Providence Hospital and Camden’s Kershaw Health Medical Center.

In 2019, the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center opted to move its primary care off the peninsula and cited frequent downtown flooding as one of the reasons driving the decision.

At this time, it is not known how much Roper’s 2030 strategic plan will cost or how the health system plans to pay for it.

But in a prepared statement, Dr. Brian Cuddy, a neurosurgeon and chairman of the Roper St. Francis Healthcare Board of Directors, projected optimism about the big move ahead.

“Our 2030 strategic plan is bold, ambitious and, together, it’s possible,” he said.

Hours after Roper’s announcement, the city of Charleston issued a warning to its citizens.

Major tidal flooding is expected starting Thursday in low-lying areas of the city during morning high tides, which are expected to exceed 8 feet Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

In a statement, Charleston Emergency Management Director Shannon Scaff urged residents to “make a plan for your morning commute, leave yourself extra driving time and remember to ‘turn around, don’t drown.’”

This story was originally published November 3, 2021 2:57 PM.

A waterfront property on Charleston’s peninsula may see new life in coming years thanks to a potential $5 million investment from the South Carolina Aquarium.

The city of Charleston is in the process of approving a deal to lease the Charleston Maritime Center to the aquarium essentially for free. City Council on Nov. 23 unanimously advanced a proposed $1-per-year lease for further consideration. If given final approval, the lease’s term would end in 2045 with the option to renew for another 25 years.

“I don’t see a downside to this in any aspect,” Mayor John Tecklenburg told council members during a Nov. 22 committee meeting.

The aquarium, located at 100 Aquarium Wharf, is less than half a mile away from the Maritime Center, located at 10 Wharfside St.

Included in the aquarium’s proposed $5 million renovations is a pedestrian path connecting the two properties. It would also include upgrades to the existing Maritime Center building to provide classroom space and a café. The existing event space and public restrooms for boaters would be upgraded.

The aquarium plans to use the space for youth educational programs. It currently runs a free K-12 STEM program, but leaders see an opportunity to expand their offerings to provide space for research trips into Charleston Harbor, an adult lecture series and teen programming, aquarium President and CEO Kevin Mills told the city’s Recreation and Real Estate committees Nov. 22.

“We’re still effectively turning away two kids for every one that applies,” Mills said of the demand for the STEM program.

They could also partner with other area organizations such as the YWCA Greater Charleston and the forthcoming International African American Museum.

Fundraising efforts are already underway, Mills said, with $2 million out of the $5 million goal raised by the aquarium. If the lease is approved, construction on the upgrades will begin in mid-2023 with an opening date projected for mid-2024. The plans were first proposed in 2018 and town hall meetings held for area residents in 2019, but the proposal faced delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mills said.

Currently, the city owns and maintains the Maritime Center, which can be used as event space and as a stopping point for boaters. In recent years however, the city has made little use of the property. Under the terms of the proposed lease, the city will still maintain the ability to use the site for event space and to accommodate boaters.

“Its basically a garage space in a way right now,” Tecklenburg said at the committee meeting.

Since at least 2018, the city has lost money on the property each year ranging from $23,000 in 2019 to $111,000 in 2020, city records show. In 2018, hurricanes Florence and Michael limited the revenue the Maritime Center typically collects from boaters, and in 2020, the facility was closed much of the year due to the pandemic.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Congressman Jim Clyburn says he believes the newly-passed infrastructure bill will allow every household in the state to be connected to broadband internet service.

“You can’t have efficient, effective delivery of medicine without broadband,” Clyburn said. “Teleheatlh and telemedicine has got to be there. You cannot have adequate education without broadband. Businesses can’t operate can’t operate in just-in-time delivery, they’ve got to have broadband.”

He said during a news conference Tuesday that broadband is easily his top priority for the state.

“I am a believer that broadband is to the 21st century to what electricity was to the 20th century,” he said.

With nearly $600 billion in new federal aid, the historic investment includes more than $100 billion to improve aging highways, roads and bridges; another $39 billion for modernizing public transit, $25 billion to improve airports, $55 billion for clean drinking water and $65 billion to boost internet access.

Clyburn was joined by other Lowcountry representatives Tuesday to discuss other important projects under this new bill.

“Between 2017 and 2031, we’ll have about a 3-billion dollar capital plan in the port,” said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the SC Ports. “Anything we can do to qualify, congressman, for that, would be very helpful. Also, the idea of getting reimbursed for our pending share of the harbor deepening in a timely passion would be very, very important as well.”

$16.6 billion is planned to be used for waterway and coastal infrastructure, which includes port infrastructure.

Clyburn shared that $366 million dollars will be used to improve public transportation and an additional $70 million to support the expansion of electric vehicle charging networks.

CARTA chairman, Mike Seekings, was also at Tuesday’s press conference.

“Public transit is integral to what we’re going to do in terms of economic development in this community,” Seekings said. “The port, the airport, and all the things that we do to move people around the state when they get here are just so wildly important.”

Clyburn says overall, he believes South Carolina is going to be in good shape as a result of this bill.

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