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Traveling neuro clinic offers glimpse of specialty care  by Cindy Abole Public Relations For some medically fragile patients living in South Carolina’s Pee Dee region, traveling more than 100 miles to Charleston is too arduous a journey to access quality medical care. So neurology specialists, physicians-in-training, and medical students found a way to provide care and work with residential care staffs by offering support in providing quality services. On July 22, pediatric neurologist Robert Turner, M.D., assistant professor of neurology, pediatrics and neurological surgery, led a small group of students and residents in a special program that inspires medical students and special needs patients. Every fourth Thursday of each month, Turner makes the half-hour trip aboard Med Air’s Beechcraft King Air 90 aircraft, a twin-engine turbo-prop airplane, to Hartsville and Florence. His visit is  part of a monthly daylong neurology clinic at the Thad E. Saleeby Center in Hartsville and the Pee Dee Center in Florence. Four to five medical students and neurology residents often accompany Turner as part of their pediatric neurology rotation experience. The program is among six traveling clinics MUSC sponsors across the state. “The trip is optional in their rotation and provides some valuable hands-on experience that can be both educational and enriching,” said Turner, who has escorted as many as 40 third- and fourth-year medical students since supervising the mobile clinic. “It gives students a chance to see patients diagnosed with rare neurological conditions and disorders read about only in textbooks. Most importantly, they learn about the value of good patient care within specialty care settings.” Students make rounds with Turner and the patient care teams, meeting a range of pediatric to geriatric patients residing at both facilities. Most patients they visit are diagnosed with cerebral palsy, pediatric epilepsy, spinal cord injuries, Down syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and other disorders that often limit their ability to walk or talk, making the monthly clinic a convenience to patients, families, and support staffs.  The program was the brainchild of Neurology Chairman David Griesemer, M.D., in 2000 after discovering the difficulties patients, many with severe neurological impairments, experienced traveling to clinic in Charleston. It resulted in a contract between MUSC and the Thad E. Saleeby Center, a residential facility and developmental care center for the state’s most medically fragile patients. The partnership is an extension of the department’s neurological inpatient and outpatient consult service and pediatric brain tumor clinic. It is the seed of a larger plan Griesemer envisions will provide additional partnerships and outreach services to all of South Carolina’s developmental care centers.  “This relationship has truly been beneficial to both the individual and family as well as the staff,” said Donald H. Lloyd II, facility administrator at the Pee Dee Clinic. “Dr. Turner and the medical students have been wonderful through their interaction and attention with each individual. The program exposes these students to a patient population that they may or may not see throughout their medical training.” College of Medicine student Eli Penn was affected positively by July’s field experience. The pediatric neurology rotation was Penn’s first experience as a third-year student. The four-week neurology rotation is subdivided into three areas: consult, veterans and pediatric neurology.  “Watching Dr. Turner interact with these patients was just golden,” said Penn, who joined four medical students and a pediatric neurology resident on the July 22 trip. “The rapport he has with his patients and staff is very impressive. It was a valuable experience for me to see him at work.” Aside from patient care, the center staffs also benefitted from clinic visits. They provide opportunities for valuable in-service training between specialists and staffs and offer collaboration to ensure continuity of good patient care, Turner said.  Halfway through their day, Turner treats his crew to lunch at Hartsville’s famous Ruth’s Drive-in, sustaining the easy, open ambiance throughout the  afternoon. Hours later, they board the small plane and return to Charleston, enriched by the people they have met and inspired by their clinical experiences.  Friday, Aug. 6, 2004 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.