Dr. Kay Durst, MD

She already had two boys, but Kay Durst was thoughtfully considering adopting. And though some would say she was perhaps overly ambitious to juggle a busy career as a family medicine physician with more kids, she would respond that it was because of her professional expertise that she would adopt a number of children. 1,300, to be exact.

The Docs-Adopt program was launched in November 2010, when the Charleston County Medical Society and Charleston County School District partnered to pair 55 area doctors with CCSD schools. Physicians were recruited to serve as members on each school’s wellness committee and support its efforts therein. Participating doctors were oriented on school guidelines, recent childhood obesity research, local and national obesity data, and current district wellness standards and programs. They then served as resources in a consultant-type role, but did not administer any type of clinical care. After a short time, it was determined that this visible and structured physician “adoption” had a profound impact on each school’s environmental change and, ultimately, school policy.

Click to read the entire article from the Daniel Island News on February 11, 2015