Celebrating 20 Years of CARES: How donor support empowers future physicians and serves the underserved

Lauren Cox vividly remembers the moment she decided to become a doctor. At 8 years old, while hiking through the jungles of Costa Rica on a family vacation, her 4-year-old brother slipped and hit his head on the rocks. Panic set in as Lauren screamed, watching her brother bleed.

“I was terrified,” she said. Her terror turned to awe as she watched her mother – at the time, an emergency physician at the Medical University of South Carolina – take charge. “She knew exactly what to do – how to stop the bleeding, how to keep him stable, how to keep us all calm.”

In that moment, she knew she wanted to be just like her mom. “Her demeanor, her skills,” Lauren said. “She’s my inspiration and my model for the kind of physician I hope to become.”

Lauren was also fortunate to be exposed to a career in medicine through her school.

“From first grade to 12th grade, I attended Ashley Hall School, just around the corner from MUSC,” she said. “I had the opportunity to participate in research at MUSC and shadow professionals in the field.”

Why the MUSC College of Medicine was the right choice for Lauren

When it came time to choose a medical school, MUSC quickly made her short list. Ultimately, she chose the MUSC College of Medicine for both professional and personal reasons.

"I just loved the program,” she said. “I was excited to come back to Charleston, be close to family and reconnect with the community that originally inspired my interest in medicine."

The chance to work with underserved communities through the student-run CARES (community aid, relief, education and support) free medical clinic was another major factor in her decision.

MUSC CARES Medical Clinic student volunteers. Lauren is front row, third from left.

First- and second-year medical students run the clinic at East Cooper Community Outreach in Mount Pleasant, under the guidance and medical supervision of volunteer licensed health care providers. Three times a week, they offer a range of free health care services for adults who don’t have insurance.

"One of the most profound memories was when I answered a call from a patient who was frantic about their medication,” Lauren said. “They were traveling the next day and didn’t know what to do. Even with my limited knowledge as a second-year student, I realized in that moment that we were their primary line of health care, and it really hit me how important our role is."

Celebrating 20 years of CARES medical clinic impact

Founded in 2005, the CARES Medical Clinic is celebrating its 20th year of service in 2025. In that time, CARES leadership “conservatively” estimates there have been approximately 20,000 patient encounters. An encounter is an interaction between a patient and a health care provider, whether in person, over the phone or virtually. It includes both scheduled and unscheduled visits.

In 2022 alone, the clinic served nearly 400 patients with health care services valued at $275,000. Thanks to these services, many patients are able to avoid the high costs of emergency room care.

In addition to the clinic in Mount Pleasant, CARES supports two outreach programs. Once a month, a team of student volunteers visits St. Stephen to perform health screenings, provide medical appointments and distribute fresh produce to hundreds of households. The clinic has also partnered with the Charleston County School District to provide necessary vaccinations to students who need them.

Empowering healthy communities through the CARES clinic

The CARES Medical Clinic is empowering healthy communities, while also providing MUSC students with invaluable hands-on training and a strong sense of purpose.

“It’s amazing to have an opportunity like CARES to remind me why I went into medicine,” Lauren said. “It’s easy to get bogged down in the biomedical and technical aspects of medical school but being able to see patients and witness the relief on their faces when we can diagnose and treat them is incredibly empowering."

“Without the CARES Clinic, I think I'd have a very different medical school experience,” she continued.

The clinic is sustained through grants, donors and fundraisers, like the barbecue held each fall. Lauren is grateful to donors who make the clinic possible.

“They supply the resources for teaching and serving underserved populations, which helps create a future for both the physicians and the patients,” Lauren said. “Every donation to CARES is an investment in the future of Charleston and medicine."