Healthy Learners Fall 2025

Healthy Learners (HL) was founded in Columbia, South Carolina in 1992 as the first health ministry of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine through Providence Hospital, when concerned community leaders realized that there were children in the community who suffered from unaddressed vision issues that were affecting their ability to succeed in school. Staff and supporters soon realized that there were far too many children in South Carolina who needed not only vision care, but other health care services that directly impacted success in school. So, HL stepped up to meet those needs, expanding its services and geographic reach over the past 32 years. Today, Healthy Learners partners with 230+ schools in 20 School Districts and more than 200 local health care providers throughout South Carolina to provide children who are in need and without resources with essential health care services, including preventative ones. Healthy Learners is on a mission to transform the futures of children in poverty in South Carolina. Research has proven that education is the key for children to go further in life, empowering them to obtain higher-wage jobs, make positive life choices, and learn to invest in their future communities to make them stronger, healthier, and vibrant. For many children in poverty, their educational success is at risk because of fixable health care challenges that have not been addressed ¿ known as health barriers to learning. Healthy Learners was created to address these challenges head on and serve as the catalyst to ensure every child receives the health care they need to thrive in school.