CareSouth Carolina Honors AMIkids' Melissa Burch With Community Partnership Award

CareSouth Carolina has named Melissa Burch, Lead Human Service Professional at AMIkids Sandhills in Patrick, as the recipient of its Community Partnership Award.

Since CareSouth Carolina partnered with AMIkids Sandhills in 2022 to provide Mobile Health Services, Burch has served as a vital link between the organization and many high-risk youth receiving care at the facility. Her dedication has helped ensure that young people have consistent access to medical, dental, behavioral health, and telehealth services while removing barriers that can often delay treatment.

Known by colleagues as the "jack of all trades" at AMIkids Sandhills, Burch coordinates visits from CareSouth Carolina's mobile medical and dental units, manages referral appointments, and works closely with CareSouth providers and pharmacy partners to ensure medications are delivered without interruption. She routinely transports medications from a local pharmacy partner to the facility and helps resolve refill requests, insurance issues, prior authorizations, and prescription changes through close collaboration with the healthcare team.

Her advocacy has also helped expand healthcare services available on-site. In 2023, Burch played a key role in bringing mobile telehealth equipment to AMIkids Sandhills. The following year, permanent upgraded telehealth equipment was installed, giving both youth and staff access to same-day appointments through CareSouth Carolina's school-based telehealth model. She also supported the addition of mobile dental services and most recently championed expanded behavioral health care, including access to USC Tele-Psych services.

"Melissa has been an incredible partner from the very beginning," said Kaitlin Hughes, Director of Mobile and Telehealth Services at CareSouth Carolina. "She doesn't just coordinate services—she advocates for every young person in her care. Her dedication, compassion, and willingness to go above and beyond have helped us build a seamless system that ensures these youth receive the medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare they need without unnecessary barriers. She truly embodies what this partnership is all about."

Burch said the recognition reflects the collaborative effort that has grown between AMIkids Sandhills and CareSouth Carolina over the past three years.

"Receiving the Community Partnership Award is a deeply meaningful recognition, not just for myself, but for all of us at AMIkids Sandhills and the entire AMIkids organization," Burch said. "True partnership is never the work of just one person or one organization. It requires people who are willing to show up, listen, and build together. Over the last three years, we've created a relationship built on mutual trust and shared values, always focused on providing excellent healthcare services to the children at AMIkids. This award belongs to everyone who works behind the scenes to make that care possible, especially the CareSouth Carolina mobile, behavioral health, and dental teams who helped turn this vision into a reality.”

The Community Partnership Award recognizes individuals and organizations whose collaboration with CareSouth Carolina has significantly expanded access to quality healthcare and strengthened the well-being of the communities they serve.

CareSouth Carolina is a private, non-profit community health center delivering patient-centered health and life services in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. CareSouth Carolina operates centers in Bennettsville, Bishopville, Cheraw, Chesterfield, Dillon, Hartsville, Lake View, Latta, McColl and Society Hill.

Services provided by CareSouth Carolina include family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, women's services, OB/GYN, HIV/AIDS primary care, infectious disease primary care, IV therapy, substance abuse prevention, dental, chiropractic services, pharmacy, senior support services, family support services, clinical counseling, laboratory, ultrasound, X-Ray, agricultural worker health services, podiatry, and veterans choice provider