Dr. Toney Graham, III: MUSC Health Black River Medical Center

Nearly 15 years ago, as a newly minted doctor, I joined the Graham Clinic established by my father, Dr. Toney Graham, Jr., on the outskirts of Lake City. He built the practice from basically nothing, and through good times and bad he brought babies into the world, treated everything from cuts and scrapes to life-threatening illnesses, and consoled the grieving.
Carrying on my father’s tradition of caring for some of our community’s most vulnerable is a privilege and the fulfillment of a goal I’ve nurtured since boyhood. And, with the opening of the new MUSC Health Black River Medical Center in a few months, that tradition will grow beyond what my father could never have imagined.
The 25-bed hospital will usher in a new era of care, one that builds on the care that we have established by bringing increased access to much-needed services and advanced technology. Combining two hospitals under the umbrella of MUSC will be a lifeline to residents in our area, many of whom have had to forego care because they lacked transportation or the means to travel for treatment. I believe that going without care is not an option for people in Williamsburg and lower Florence counties, and the presence of MUSC Health Black River Medical Center means it no longer has to be.
The new hospital will be conveniently located between Lake City and Kingstree. You’ll have access to 3D mammograms, stroke treatment, MRIs and other diagnostic testing, emergency care provided by emergency doctors, and other services such as telehealth that will allow you and your doctor to consult with leading experts in their field within hours, all without leaving the community.

I believe that you deserve seamless care, from prescriptions that are sent electronically, callbacks and appointment reminders that people elsewhere take for granted. And I believe that if you do have to leave the area for advanced treatment, you should have easy and timely access to nationally recognized experts at the state’s only academic medical center.

I understand that people want care that is “high touch” – the kind that comes from building relationships with their primary doctor. As a doctor, I do also. I and my colleagues will continue to deliver compassionate, personalized care, with one difference: Our association with MUSC will allow us to build on these relationships. Advanced technology doesn’t compete with the doctor-patient relationship; it enhances it. MUSC Health’s presence will not change where you see your doctor or how you see your doctor; it will just add to what your doctor can do for you.
MUSC is making a major investment in Williamsburg and lower Florence counties to improve the quality of care. When one looks at modern medicine and a state’s ability to provide care to its residents, the biggest common factor is an academic medical center that reaches throughout the state. This is something that is absolutely needed in South Carolina, and MUSC has made that commitment to spread a broad net of care across our state.

It’s testament to MUSC’s mission, and I’m proud to be part of it. I don’t plan on changing my style, but I do want to improve and make things more efficient, more advanced, and more accessible.

I’m optimistic to be part of this new era.

Dr. Toney Graham III specializes in internal medicine and is a hospitalist and chief of staff at Lake City Community Hospital.