Palmetto Health Resident Auxiliary

Palmetto Health Resident Auxiliary Welcome Information Guide Table of Contents Welcome Mission Learn More, Get Involved! Testimonials About About Palmetto Health About USC School of Medicine About USC About Columbia, SC Post-Graduate Physician Opportunities Things to See and Do Arts and Culture Sports Recreation The Water is Fine! Faith and Devotion Nearby Destinations Relocation Tools Assistance Department of Motor Vehicles Local Utilities Moving Companies Education Childcare Housing Wellness and Fitness YMCA Strom Thurmond Wellness Center at USC Solomon Blatt Physical Education Center at USC E-Care Reading Resources Welcome Residents, Fellows and Families! The Palmetto Health Resident Auxiliary is a support group and extended social network of residents and fellows dedicated to providing opportunities for fun and fellowship outside of work. As the incoming co-chairs, we are excited to have you here as you embark on the next phase of your training. We hope you will find that Columbia is a fantastic place to live, work and raise a family. Columbia offers everything from the great outdoors and nightlife to family-friendly fun and cultural events. The Resident Auxiliary organizes a variety of social events each year such as holiday parties, picnics and trips to the zoo. We also work closely with different organizations to help in fundraising causes and other outreach opportunities. We welcome any new ideas for gatherings, philanthropy or fundraising. Our hope is that through these events, out-of-town residents and their families will be able to make Columbia their new home away from home. The Auxiliary also will be supplying vital information to prospective and incoming residents to help them better adjust to their new city. We look forward to sharing information on real estate, schools, public parks and more. We are here to answer any questions you may have, and we look forward to meeting everyone soon. We are determined to make this the best year yet! Again, congratulations and welcome to the Palmetto Health/USC School of Medicine family! Angie and Ellen Palmetto Health Resident Auxiliary Co-chairs Angie and Peter Taylor and Ellen 1 Our Mission The Palmetto Health Resident Auxiliary’s mission is to provide an ongoing social network of support to the spouses, significant others and families of residents and fellows at Palmetto Health/University of South Carolina School of Medicine. We welcome and assist incoming residents and fellows in acclimating to their new environment. We also provide opportunities to serve the community and resources for personal growth. Learn More, Get Involved! In an effort to provide activities throughout the year to ensure there is something for everyone, we organize play dates, parties, socials and other fun activities, including events for single residents and couples with and without children. Here are a several events that the Auxiliary has coordinated: • Party at Mellow Mushroom–free food and drinks • Riverbanks Zoo and Garden • Leapin’ Lizards indoor playground for kids • Area parks • Paint ball • Canoeing on the Saluda River • Gatherings at residents’ homes • Fall “Country Adventures” Party • Christmas Party • Summer Welcome Party How can you participate in the Palmetto Health Residents’ Auxiliary? Email your interests and willingness to participate in planning committees to [email protected]. 2 Testimonials “Match Day is one of the most stressful things to endure. When my boyfriend, Chris, and I found out that he had matched at our number one choice, my anxiety was relieved. We quickly found a place to live, I began the job search, and we started to pack the boxes. But then reality hit us! We were moving eight hours away from all of our friends and family. We had lived in Ohio for our entire lives and now were headed to a new city and state where we knew not one single person. We made an agreement to each other that if any opportunity arose to meet other people that we would just say “yes!” The Palmetto Health Resident Auxiliary was my first “yes”, and I am so glad I joined. It was so comforting to have an immediate support group that is a great fit for all types of people—moms, dads, wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, etc. Residents work a lot, and I have found that my transition was easier because I made an effort to get involved. Chris and I have lived here for only 10 months, but we are already falling in love with Columbia. It is definitely a larger city, but it also has a small town feel. New restaurants and shops continue to open, and the close proximity to the beach and mountains make it an ideal city!” —Micaela Delacruz “My family and I moved to Columbia this summer from Portland, Oregon for my spouse to begin her ophthalmology residency. We felt uneasy moving across the country to an unfamiliar place with our two young children and leaving behind our support system of family and friends. It was so comforting to me to be able to meet and connect with other spouses and significant others through the Resident Auxiliary within the first few weeks of our arrival. We found everyone to be so welcoming! There were many events planned throughout the year from family play dates (the children’s museum and the trampoline park), financial planning workshops, a holiday party, the Residency to Practice Series, an informational mock trial of a malpractice case and informal meet and greets. It was so nice to be able to connect with other parents and spouses of residents because they were familiar with the joys and challenges of the medical profession. Columbia has a small town feel for us coming from Portland. The weather is fantastic and it was so nice to see the sun in the winter! Attending the Soda City farmers market downtown has been one of our favorite weekly activities. The library, zoo and Edventure children’s museum are a few of the many family- friendly places around town. Our family has settled in nicely to living in the South!” —Ryan Keck 3 About Palmetto Health Palmetto Health is the region's largest and most comprehensive not-for- profit, integrated health care system composed of six outstanding hospitals—Palmetto Health Richland, Palmetto Health Baptist, Palmetto Health Baptist Parkridge, Palmetto Health Heart Hospital, and Palmetto Health Children's Hospital in Columbia and, in a joint venture with Greenville Hospital System, Baptist Easley Hospital in Pickens County. Palmetto Health hospitals are among the finest in the state, combining advanced technology and treatment, a wonderfully diverse and experienced staff, and compassionate care to meet our community's health care needs. About the University of South Carolina School of Medicine The School of Medicine's basic science campus consists of fully renovated historic buildings and is located four miles from the Columbia campus of the University of South Carolina. The complex provides teaching and research facilities that are unparalleled nationally. Most clinical departments are located on the Richland campus in central Columbia. Affiliated hospitals are Palmetto Health (Palmetto Health Richland and Palmetto Health Baptist), the Dorn Veterans Administration Medical Center, the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center and facilities of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. In 1991 the School of Medicine's affiliation with the Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center was enhanced to provide the opportunity for completion of core third-and fourth-year clerkships and rotations in Greenville. Also in 1991, the first of a growing network of Rural Primary Care Centers was opened in Winnsboro, South Carolina. These centers enable medical students to train alongside students from the University's other health professional degree programs in real-life rural practice settings. The University of South Carolina School of Medicine has become a national leader in primary care medical education. The School of Medicine also collaborates closely with state agencies involved in health service delivery, sponsors research focused primarily on South Carolina's health care needs, and provides a wide range of clinical care services to South Carolinians. 4 About the University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina is home to more than 200 years of history and tradition, rising from a single building in 1805 on what would become the heart of the campus, the Horseshoe. The University of South Carolina is a rising star in higher education. What's behind the momentum? • New Innovista research district—a $250-million investment to create high paying jobs, solve problems, and better society. Learn more at http://www.innovista.sc.edu/ • The new $22-million Arnold School of Public Health Research Center, a catalyst for leading research on childhood obesity, cancer, health disparities, and environmental threats • The nation's only National Science Foundation-funded Fuel Cell Research Center, and a major research push to build energy independence through alternative energy sources • Number one rankings for international business and exercise science programs (U.S. News & World Report and Academic Analytics) • Highest research designation from the Carnegie Foundation—the only university in South Carolina to receive this top rating About Columbia, SC A highlight of our residency program is our exceptional location. Columbia combines the gracious living of its past with the excitement of the New South. It is a city where steel and glass structures rub shoulders with stately homes and turn-of-the-century warehouses that now serve as modern offices; where the friendly nature of its residents is matched only by its welcoming climate. One of the first planned cities in America, Columbia is a community that's easy to get to know, easy to love. It's also a very livable city. Housing prices are well below the national average, making home ownership very affordable.

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