Uniting Members, Maximizing Medical Care
The Charleston County Medical Society is consistently recognized as a state leader in service and in expanding healthcare access for local residents. At the South Carolina Medical Association’s Presidential Inauguration & Gala Awards Dinner in April, CCMS received two significant awards for its work this year: the Healthy Children in Our Communities Award and the Service to the Community Award.
“We were thrilled and surprised to receive two different awards,” said Dr. Kay Durst, a family medicine practitioner who serves as CCMS president. “Thanks go out to our great doctors and team leaders who have helped spearhead these endeavors. These awards serve as wonderful tributes to the ways that we have impacted so many lives in the community.”
The CCMS was created in 1951 to provide a collective voice to unite physicians in fellowship, advocacy, and maximize medical care for the community members they serve. Today, CCMS is 175 members strong and known throughout the state — by peers and patients alike — for its dedication to the overall health of the community.
Since its inception, the society has worked with local medical schools and hospitals to promote wellness initiatives in the community, notably for students. Historically, this related to polio and measles outbreaks and later different outbreaks like chicken pox. Today, the effort has grown into the Children’s Health Initiative, a partnership with Charleston County Schools and spearheaded by CCMS members Dr. Janice Key and Dr. Katharyn Ouzts.
With the help of school nurses, projects include promoting sunscreen use, building sensory gardens to teach food production and healthy lifestyles, and organizing walking and running groups to boost physical and mental wellness. The initiative also connects businesses, like Boeing, with schools to fund wellness strategies and garden programs through grants.
“Healthcare workers, notably the providers and the doctors, play a critical role in integrating primary care with public health, by focusing on school wellness,” Dr. Durst explained. “Our School Health Committee, comprised of physicians, school nurses, counselors, and other members of the community, has developed evidence-based strategies to assist schools in making the policy, systems, and environmental changes required to build and sustain a culture of wellness.”
The CCMS has prioritized children’s health, focusing on issues such as substance abuse and addictions linked to social media and cell phone use. To support families, it promotes resources physicians can share with parents, including “SCREENAGERS,” a film offering guidance and tools to help prevent substance abuse and address mental health challenges.
This focus on children’s well-being is part of a broader mission, one that also addresses critical healthcare challenges within the wider community, most notably healthcare disparities.
Dr. Thaddeus Bell and members of the CCMS Healthcare Disparities Committee (which is now part of the Community Service Committee) earned the SCMA Community Service Award for their tireless efforts to promote healthcare literacy and decrease healthcare disparities in the African American and underserved communities in South Carolina.
The committee’s Closing the Gap in Healthcare Initiative expands access to care for communities underserved due to race or socioeconomic status. Through videos, media outreach, and events like the Lowcountry Jazz Festival, it delivers culturally relevant health information and connects people with the resources and care they need.
“We were very excited to receive another award. We have been an award-winning program and effort for the past 20 years. I was very thankful that the South Carolina Medical Association recognized what we have been doing,” said Dr. Bell, committee chair.
The CCMS has broadened its focus, Dr. Bell added. Where it once centered on the urban community, it is now serving the community as a whole. “Our goal is to make health make sense, and we hope our tips will resonate widely,” he said.
The CCMS serves its members with the same dedication it brings to the community. The organization works to improve conditions for physicians in both independent practices and employer groups, partnering with the state medical association to address statewide issues.
Regular meetings feature lectures and continuing medical education sessions on topics such as financial management and required controlled medicine pain management training. CCMS also hosts informational programs, social events that foster fellowship and networking, and a mentorship program for medical students.
“Our physician-led, team-based collaborations help encourage and energize our members,” Dr. Durst explained. “We’ve provided resources to combat physician burnout and held events at wellness centers. These are just a few examples of the work we do to support our members.”
“We are hoping, too, that we can stand in the gap and give patients from all walks of life evidence-based medical information that they can use to improve their quality of life as well as improve their longevity of life.” —Dr. Thaddeus Bell, Chair, Community Service Committee
