Cleve Dowell/Clarendon Citizen
Urgent Care fills healthcare need
Across the nation, hospital emergency rooms are shifting from acute, traumatic care to health clinics for those without insurance or funds to pay doctors. Rising unemployment has caused a loss of insurance for many working people sending them to ERs for minor illnesses. A recent MSNBC report said the national average wait time in an emergency waiting room is 222 minutes – three hours and 42 minutes.
Combine that with a shortage of private physicians whose appointment books are filled for weeks in advance, and those with an acute, but easily treatable illness are left with no satisfactory option.
Santee-Cooper Urgent Care, located in Santee Cooper Professional Court just past the Manning IGA, was created to help fill that healthcare gap, according to Dr. Ken Johnson, owner of the new medical practice.
“This is a model I have thought about for years,” Johnson said. “We can take care of acute needs seven days a week, right now from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We hope to expand those hours in the future.”
Urgent Care hosts five doctors on their roster – Johnson, certified in family practice and emergency medicine; Dr. Rudy Jokl, certified in internal medicine, emergency medicine and endocrinology; and Dr. Michael Chandler, Dr. Marva Williams and Dr. Jeff Chandler, all certified family practitioners.
Together the group has more than 50 years of experience.
“We are a cohesive group, we know and trust each other,” Johnson said. “We hand picked our entire staff. We wanted people who would treat our patients the same way they would treat their mother and father.”
Urgent Care still maintains a close relationship with Clarendon Memorial Hospital and local specialists.
“We are able to admit directly to the hospital for those who need inpatient treatment,” Johnson added. “We are referring to Dr. (Ray) Dominici and Dr. (Carlos) Alejo for surgical cases and other specialists for continuing treatment.”
“We welcome Dr. Johnson and his associates to their new medical practice,” said Jeffrey Black, director of public relations for Clarendon Health System. “Whenever an additional health care provider opens their doors, especially in a rural setting, it is great news for patients and for the community. We wish them the very best.”
Urgent Care can treat everything from a nasty sinus infection to needs for intravenous fluids or breathing treatments. They have a CT machine, X-ray and an on-site lab. They treat all ages, from newborns to adolescents to adults.
Most importantly, according to Johnson, is his commitment to continuing to serve Clarendon County.
“We’re not going anywhere; this is my home,” Johnson said. “Our prime goal is to help people and I think that is what we are doing. I feel like we are making a difference.”
