MUSC Opens Branch in Ben Sawyer Plaza, the Perfect Location

MUSC Health Primary Care is celebrating the recent opening of a new practice, Ben Sawyer Primary Care, that will make it easier for Mount Pleasant residents to visit their family doctor.

According to MUSC leadership, plans for the new office have long been in the works. The new site, at 1440 Ben Sawyer Plaza, just around the corner from the BI-LO grocery store, was determined to be a great location to serve Mount Pleasant and the islands. MUSC Health Primary Care will continue to expand its reach.

“Ben Sawyer is the first of our new branches. There are more to come,” said Ginny Gamble Taylor, business development and operations manager for MUSC. “Most people think of MUSC for critical care and trauma, but we offer everyday care as well.”

Patients at the new location can expect to see one of two physicians who will lead the team of health care professionals – Dr. Gregory Perron and Dr. Melissa Ellis-Yarian.

Dr. Perron attended the University of Virginia as an undergraduate and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. After receiving his medical degree in 1997, he completed his residency at Malcolm Grow Medical Clinics and Surgery Center at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. He currently lives in Mount Pleasant with his wife and has spent the last several years practicing at MUSC Health East Cooper in Mount Pleasant.

Dr. Ellis-Yarian completed the Duke University Family Medicine Residency program. She originally settled in the Lowcountry in 2008 to serve as a flight surgeon at Joint Base Charleston. She now lives in Mount Pleasant with her husband and two dogs.

“I’m excited to serve my friends and neighbors,” Dr. Ellis-Yarian said. “I live two miles from the clinic, shop at the stores around it and drive right past it on my way to visit the beach on Sullivan’s Island. It’s home for me, and that makes the job all the more special.”

Dr. Ellis-Yarian said the location is also exciting because it’s near schools, grocery stores and residential neighborhoods.

“We’ll be serving an area that right now, quite frankly, is underserved. Visiting Ben Sawyer Primary Care will save time for a lot of families in the area.”

Her focus, and that of any primary care physician, extends beyond the here-and-now, Dr. Ellis-Yarian said.

“Your family doctor is the only one looking at the big picture. In a world with more medical technology, specialties and subspecialties than ever before, family doctors have never been more important to the individual patient,” she said.

She added that serving the medical needs of friends and neighbors gives her the opportunity to establish personalized treatment plans.

“As a family doctor, we get to know our patients on a personal level. We know what they do and how they live,” Dr. Ellis- Yarian explained. “Ultimately, we work to empower our patients to be as healthy and happy as they can be.”

This long-term relationship between patient and doctor is what moves patients beyond health care and toward prevention and wellness, she said.

Ben Sawyer Primary Care is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information or to make an appointment, call 843-876-8333.