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Volume 21 • Issue 5
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August 8, 2025
Johnnie Garmon Announces Candidacy for South Carolina House District 115
MUSC Medical Pavilion on Track to Open in December By Theresa Stratford The long-awaited Medical University of South Carolina Medical Pavilion is on its way to completion. Dr. Saj Joy, MUSC Charleston Division CEO, presented an update at the July 22 Seabrook Island Town Council meeting. He said that a December open date is still on track. Dr. Joy pointed out that by the end of July or the beginning of August, they should have a better idea of an actual completion date. We are definitely on track from a timing standpoint to see our first patient before the end of the year,” he said. He also provided an update on the walkway access. Dr. Joy said that the options were to come out the front or along the path for the walkway to be accessible. He added that they will have the options soon to present to Council. The 24-hour medical pavilion will include a freestanding emergency room, trauma and triage rooms, imaging and radiology services, an on-site lab and a helipad for critical cases. In addition, the new medical office building will offer primary care, cardiology, neurosurgery and neurology, as well as outpatient services such as physical therapy, infusion and telehealth. It will be a 11,500-square-foot facility. MUSC is partnering with Intuitive Health to help hire the right provider team for the emergency services. About 12 employees will support the Emergency Department, which includes registration, nursing, radiology and different technicians. The entire facility will have about 35 employees in all, including security. The medical office side of the building will be all MUSC physicians. For imaging, this facility will be a location for CT scans and X-rays and there will be a mobile MRI. Non-chemo-related infusion therapies will be available, and six exam rooms will be used for primary care. MUSC first proposed a certificate of need application with the state of South Carolina for a Sea Islands Emergency Department to be located on Seabrook Island Road on Johns Island in October 2019. Now, about six years later, the project has finally taken shape – albeit in a different location than originally planned. If things had gone as planned at the first site, which was located across from the current site, the MUSC medical center would likely be up and running by now. However, due to issues with the owner of a neighboring property, MUSC had to start over and find a new location, which was finally identified in June of 2023. The neighbor was not allowing egress for traffic and emergency vehicles onto Andell Bluff Road from the original site of the medical pavilion. The new location is adjacent to the new Seafields senior community, which is near completion. Now there will be only one entrance for the facility off Seabrook Island Road. The full cost of the facility comes to $30 million. MUSC raised $17 million in private support and $9.5 million in gifts. Dr. Joy said he would come back out in two to three months with another update.
By Johnnie Garmon Johnnie Garmon, a proven entrepreneur, health care innovator and community leader, proudly announces his candidacy to seek the Republican nomination for South Carolina House District 115. With a vision rooted in faith, action and results, Johnnie is committed to delivering principled, people-first leadership to Columbia. A Leader Who Listens and Delivers Johnnie Garmon believes the government should serve its people, not the other way around. Guided by his core conviction that “our neighbors are the board of directors,” Johnnie brings real-world experience to the race. Over two decades, he founded and successfully exited six private businesses, transforming health care in South Carolina by serving thousands of patients and families while employing hundreds. His companies earned recognition for quality outcomes, health care breakthroughs and being among the state’s best workplaces. As a keynote speaker, published author and lecturer at Columbia International (Continued on page 2)
Kiawah is Safe, but the Island Still Needs Off-duty Officers By Theresa Stratford As safe as Kiawah Island is, there is still a need for off-duty police officers to patrol the island. Public Safety Director Craig Harris provided some of those reasons at the July 1 Kiawah Island Town Council meeting. Although the update from Harris included involvement in June from not only the police but also the the Fire Department, beach patrol and code enforcement, it goes to show that Kiawah has its fair share of incidents. Harris shared that on June 11, an autistic 14-year-old child had to be rescued from a dangerous current. He was found 450 yards from the shoreline. His parents also had to be rescued since they went out to try to help the child. Harris stated that the ordeal lasted approximately 45 minutes. On June 15, code enforcement and medical personnel responded to a call of an unresponsive male subject who had overdosed. He was later arrested. On June 24, a vehicle collided with the Harris Teeter. The driver was treated for unknown injuries. It was later revealed that the driver had accidentally accelerated when backing out of a handicap parking spot. And on June 29, there was a report that two juveniles were missing. After an hour, they were located. Harris said that he mentioned all these incidents to stress the importance of collaboration. “We could not have done this alone. It is outside sources, like communication between the town, KICA and security that make successful outcomes happen. The communication is extraordinary. (Continued on page 7) A lot of these cases involved kids, and, without all