Pinckney launched this first initiative with a $2 million investment in 1991. Today the endowment has grown in value to more than $240 million.

Under Pinckney's guidance, GHS evolved from a renowned multi-hospital system to a leading academic and medical research facility. In 1998, Pinckney oversaw the establishment of the GHS Oncology Research Institute and in 2004, inside the Greenville Hospital System Cancer Treatment Center, CancerCenters of the Carolinas opened the only Phase I/Phase II Clinical Research Unit in South Carolina. In the same year, GHS was publicly recognized as a university medical center for carrying out the educational mission of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and the health sciences programs of the Medical University of South Carolina. In addition to training health professionals, the Institute will also conduct leading-edge research and serve as an economic engine in the state. It is being touted as a prototype for future medical academic facilities.

GHS made another major advancement in medical academics in 2005 when the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina integrated their pharmacy programs and announced that the South Carolina College of Pharmacy would add Greenville Hospital System as a clinical training campus.

Under Pinckney's direction, GHS joined Clemson University, the University of South Carolina, and the Medical University of South Carolina in announcing that their organizations were pledging a combined $24 million to biomedical and health sciences research in the Upstate, all of which will be conducted on the campuses of the Greenville Hospital System.

In late 2005, the University of South Carolina and the Medical University of South Carolina announced plans for their presence in the Greenville Hospital System Research, Education and Innovation Institute. The University of South Carolina announced it was expanding the USC School of Medicine, the USC College of Nursing, the South Carolina College of Pharmacy (a college operated jointly by USC and the Medical University of South Carolina), the Arnold School of Public Health, and the USC College of Social Work into the education wing of the Institute.

In the early 1990s under Pinckney's direction, Greenville Hospital System helped establish Greenville Community Health Center (later known as New Horizon Family Health Service). New Horizon provides healthcare to the medically underserved of the Upstate through affordable primary care services.

In 1992, Pinckney's leadership resulted in the GHS Board of Trustees authorizing a $2 million contribution to the William R. DeLoache Center for Developmental Services (CDS), an organization that provides children and adolescents with developmental needs access to multiple programs and services in a single location. In 2003, when one of center's partners announced it would no longer provide children's rehabilitation services at CDS, Pinckney announced GHS would add staff positions and make another financial commitment to support CDS programs and services and to aid with the capital campaign on the facility.

In 1992, Pinckney convinced the Board of Trustees to donate $1 million toward the construction of a Nursing/Science building at Greenville Technical and Community College to help train the area's future allied health professionals.

In 2004, Pinckney was among the architects of Health Sciences South Carolina, the statewide research collaborative established for the purpose of improving the health and economic well being of South Carolina.

In addition to developing the System's five medical campuses, Pinckney directed the extensive expansion of the system's Heart Institute, Children's Hospital, Women's Hospital, and Greenville Memorial Hospital inpatient services. The expansion initiative also improved emergency services and addressed capacity issues at Allen Bennett Memorial Hospital, Hillcrest Memorial Hospital, and North Greenville Hospital.

In addition, Pinckney oversaw the completion of the Robert E. Toomey Education, Research, and Conference Center - which provides education and training space for hospital employees and nursing students, and the construction of a new bed tower that increases Greenville Hospital System's total capacity to 1110 licensed beds - and he is responsible for acquiring the property for the system's Patewood Medical Campus. Already under construction on a new, state-of-the-art Greer campus are an innovative nursing center and a new acute-care hospital.

Throughout his tenure Pinckney maintained an unwavering commitment to putting patients first, to supporting physicians, and to building a top-notch medical team. Toward that end, he directed the conversion of Greenville Memorial Hospital to an all-private room facility; he updated the system's visitation policy to reflect a more patient-friendly and staff-supporting focus; he directed a pay increase for all GHS registered nurses providing acute patient care, making Greenville Hospital System nursing salaries the highest in the region at that time; and he oversaw the growth of the Greenville Hospital System Medical Staff from 669 in 1991 to 1151 today.

Noting that he had seen many positive changes in the healthcare industry over his career, he said one thing has not changed - healthcare remains first and foremost a "people business." The desire to make a difference is what attracted him to healthcare in the first place and it is what continued to motivate him over his 43-year career.

(Images provided by Greenville Hospital System.)

all contents copyright © 2005, greenville.com. contact: [email protected] or 864.235.1211
For listing and advertising information...