New program will train future workforce, strengthen community collaboration
and address health-harming legal needs
The University of South Carolina Upstate’s The Chief Justice Donald W. Beatty Center for Justice & Society has been awarded a $1,353,520.00 grant from The Duke Endowment to establish the CHAMPS Beatty Center, a new medical-legal partnership designed to support families across Spartanburg, Union and Cherokee counties by addressing civil legal issues that impact children’s health and well-being.
The initiative is a collaboration among USC Upstate, the Carolina Health Advocacy Medicolegal Partnership (CHAMPS) based at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS). The partnership aims to identify and resolve health-harming legal needs such as substandard housing, access to public benefits and food insecurity, that often go untreated in traditional healthcare settings.
By embedding legal, social work and health services into a coordinated care model, CHAMPS Beatty Center will provide support to low-income families while training undergraduate students and current professionals to better understand and respond to the social conditions that shape children’s health outcomes.
“USC Upstate plays a critical role in developing the workforce that serves this region,” said Dr. Bennie L. Harris, chancellor of USC Upstate. “This partnership not only supports families today, but it also builds long-term capacity in hospitals, public agencies and community organizations across the Upstate.”
A core element of CHAMPS Beatty Center is workforce training. Undergraduate students in nursing, public health, social work, criminal justice and related fields will receive hands-on experience working with an interdisciplinary care model. The training will prepare them to identify social determinants of health and advocate for families in their future careers.
Training and education will also be offered to healthcare providers and social workers to help reduce unnecessary referrals to the South Carolina Department of Social Services. In Spartanburg County, where only 15.5% of child welfare investigations last year were substantiated, CHAMPS Beatty Center aims to reduce avoidable involvement by addressing root causes earlier.
“Too often, the challenges families face are symptoms of poverty rather than neglect,” said Dr. Allison Ellis, director of the Beatty Center and co-faculty director of CHAMPS Beatty Center. “This partnership allows us to strengthen families, reduce unnecessary trauma from child welfare involvement and train a new generation of professionals who can recognize the difference.”
CHAMPS Beatty Center will provide legal leadership and fund a dedicated attorney employed through the University of South Carolina School of Law. Through the grant, USC Upstate will hire a social worker, administrative support staff and student interns to implement the program. Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System will serve as the main referral source. CHAMPS Beatty Center is expected to begin accepting referrals in early 2026.
“This is about strengthening systems, not creating new silos,” said Dr. Kara Davis, assistant professor of community health and lead evaluator for the project. “By integrating legal advocacy directly into healthcare and community services, we can improve outcomes in a way that is sustainable and measurable.”
The partnership is structured to continue beyond the initial grant period through a combination of state appropriations, community investment and potential federal Medical-Legal Partnership expansion grants. The project aligns with statewide efforts to improve child well-being and reduce strain on public systems.