Google is donating about $115,000 over two years to fund a rural student-run clinic affiliated with the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, The Post and Courier reports.
The donation will go toward expense to set up a weekend health clinic in a middle school in St. Stephen, S.C. The new CARES Medical Clinic marks an expansion of an existing site in Mount Pleasant, where free care is given to uninsured patients under the supervision of the medical school's physicians.
This is a new type of philanthropy for the search engine giant, according to The Post and Courier. Google, which employs about 400 workers at a nearby data center in Moncks Corner, S.C., traditionally has focused its donations in the area to supporting education efforts.
A Google spokesperson confirmed the investment in the CARES Medical Clinic was separate from the company's business interests.
"A lot of the work that we do around philanthropic outreach is designed to be helpful," Lilyn Hester, head of Southeast public affairs for Google, told The Post and Courier. "We take the business case out of it."
Like many rural communities, St. Stephen is facing a shortage of physicians and basic medical services. There are only two physicians actively practicing in the town, according to data from the state's licensing department reviewed by The Post and Courier.