Kacey Eichelberger, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Prisma Health, has been named a 2024 McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund recipient for her Liberty Fellowship impact venture, The Magdalene Clinic. Eichelberger partnered with The Phoenix Center in 2017 to create the novel program, a collaborative care model for pregnant people with substance use disorders in South Carolina.
On behalf of the entire Magdalene Clinic team, we are incredibly grateful to the McNulty Foundation for their generosity and support. With the Catalyst Fund we will continue to pilot innovative, person-centered interventions to break cycles of trauma and help families regain solid footing as they navigate those early days of parenting newborns while working towards sobriety. We see this award as a clear acknowledgement of the deep worthiness of our patients and their courage fighting a chronic medical disease in the face of overwhelming societal stigma,” said Eichelberger.
The McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund awards are given annually to organizations led by Aspen Institute Fellows that have shown significant momentum in advancing innovative models of social change. A total of $140,000 will be awarded this year to seven recipients working in China, Rwanda, the United States, and globally. The other recipients are:
- Yordanos Eyoel, founder of Keseb (Global)
- Anatole Manzi, founder of Move Up Global (Rwanda)
- Alex Bailey, founder of Black Outside (United States)
- Jack Hsu, founder of Qi Social Innovation Center (China)
- Yemi A.D., founder of Moonshot (Global)
- Jonathan Klein, founder of UndauntedK12 (United States)
Each of these leaders’ lives has brought them face-to-face with challenges, and they have developed solutions in partnership with those they serve. We are honored to hold up these examples with the Catalyst Fund,” said President of the McNulty Foundation and Trustee of the Aspen Institute Anne Welsh McNulty.
Watch the Magdalene Clinic’s impact story.
Eichelberger, who became a Liberty Fellow in 2018, was eligible for the Catalyst Fund through Liberty’s affiliation with The Aspen Institute. Once a Liberty Fellow completes the initial 18-month Liberty Fellowship seminar experience and an individual impact venture, they become a member of the Liberty Fellowship South Carolina Network and the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
The Magdalene Clinic is a powerful example of how individual leadership can bring stakeholders together to address an issue in their community,” said Ann Marie Stieritz, president and CEO of Liberty Fellowship. “Because Kacey was willing to dedicate her leadership to this issue and bring the clinic partners together, her patients and their children now have access to a continuum of care that is improving outcomes for their families.”
Fast Facts
- The Magdalene Clinic was the first dedicated clinic in Upstate South Carolina for pregnant people with substance use disorders and represents a highly effective collaboration leveraging the expertise of both a community-based organization and a complex health system for the well-being of a uniquely vulnerable population.
- As of March 2024, The Magdalene Clinic has treated more than 620 women over six years from across Upstate South Carolina.
- The majority of people receiving care in The Magdalene Clinic have complex substance use disorders and mental health diagnoses, and have experienced high levels of personal trauma. Currently the most common disorder is opioid use disorder, followed by stimulant use disorder.
- Participation in The Magdalene Clinic model has been associated with a 57% reduction in the number of patients with active substance use disorders in the postpartum period.
- The clinic’s treatment model has now been piloted in Oconee County, where providers are tailoring care to the needs of their specific rural community.
About Liberty Fellowship
Liberty Fellowship is the only state-based Fellowship program of its kind in the United States. The Fellowship activates individual leaders through a deeper understanding of a just, free and equitable society; serves as a convener for bringing together diverse perspectives to advance civil discourse; and provides infrastructure for taking action. Through the Fellowship’s affiliation with the Aspen Institute, Liberty Fellows also become members of the Apsen Global Leadership Network. There are 350 Liberty Fellows working individually and collaboratively across South Carolina. See stories of their impact at www.libertyfellowshipsc.org/impact.
About the McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund
The McNulty Prize Catalyst Fund recognizes promising ventures led by Fellows of the Aspen Institute with significant early momentum and at critical junctures on their path to creating meaningful change. The Fund boosts leaders and their organizations, awarding up to $150,000, annually across five to seven recipients as well as non-monetary support to reach the next level of impact. Launched in 2017, to date, the fund has supported over 30 recipients from around the world. Learn more at mcnultyfound.org/catalyst-fund.
About the Aspen Global Leadership Network
The AGLN at the Aspen Institute is a growing, worldwide community of nearly 4,000 high-integrity, entrepreneurial leaders from over 60 countries who share a commitment to values-based leadership and to using their creativity, energy and resources to tackle the foremost societal challenges of our times. Because of their demonstrated accomplishment and abilities, they have been selected to join one of 13 geographic or sector-specific AGLN Fellowships around the world. Fellows convene annually at the AGLN’s flagship event, the Resnick Aspen Action Forum. For more information, visit aspeninstitute.org/agln.