About the CCMS – Uniting Physicians in Charleston since 1951

Mission Statement

We champion physician advocacy, professional camaraderie, and elevated patient care through community outreach, legislative engagement, mentorship, and closing healthcare disparities.

Rooted in Charleston’s medical community since 1951, the Charleston County Medical Society (CCMS) is an integral support organization for physicians seeking a voice in relevantadvocacy, a role in the medical community, and a vehicle for peer-to-peer networking.

This older society was established in Charleston in 1789 with a view to developing a statewide membership. In 1848 it became one of the component district societies, which made up the South Carolina Medical Association (SCMA). When the districts of the state were divided into counties, the Medical Society of South Carolina assumed the status of a county society.

In this capacity it continued to function until 1951. In that year the complexities of managing Roper Hospital, which it owned, had become sufficiently great enough that a new and independent group dedicated entirely to the organizational affairs of physicians and their patients was needed.

The Charleston County Medical Society was created for that purpose and replaced the older society as the local unit of the South Carolina Medical Association while the Medical Society of South Carolina has continued to operate Roper Hospital, The SCMA is, in turn,a component of the American Medical Association (AMA). Thus it is through the local, state, and national associations that individual physicians are represented in their efforts to improve medical care to their patients.

Charleston County Medical Society has successfully evolved from a society to organize physicians for scientific and professional purposes to an organization called upon to lead the community in health related issues.