David Johnson, PA-C, came to Magee in 2002 as something of a pioneer. Just two years previously, Mississippi had become the 50th state to allow medical practice by physician assistants. “Mine was the 24th PA license in the state at that time,” he said. Since the creation of the profession in the 1960s, physician assistants have filled an essential niche, especially in rural areas and other communities where physicians are scarce. As licensed practitioners trained to provide general medical care, they diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, perform such in-office procedures as biopsies and injections, assist in surgeries, and prescribe medications. Johnson practices family medicine at CCH Clinic Magee, at 800 Third Street Southwest in Magee. His calm, reassuring demeanor masks a mind on high alert for signs of a potential crisis. Medical Emergencies “Usually, you’re just managing someone’s diabetes or hypertension medicine or managing an acute illness,” Johnson said. “But every now and then, something will come up that could be a medical emergency. A patient may be dealing with some kind of severe infection like pneumonia, or they may actually be having a heart attack or stroke. “There have been times when I made a lifesaving diagnosis or caught something that even a specialist physician had missed. That’s rewarding.” The clinic treats minor injuries and performs annual physicals, lab tests, and vaccinations. It screens for and treats such chronic conditions as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Physicals, EPSDT It offers sports physicals, and other work physicals and it provides early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment (EPSDT) services for those under 21 enrolled in Medicaid. Johnson also conducts sleep studies at the Magee General Hospital Sleep Disorder Center (which is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine). Believe it or not, simple chronic drowsiness can indicate a potentially deadly threat. “Sleep apnea is such a hugely underdiagnosed condition,” he said. It causes breathing to repeatedly stop during sleep. That, Johnson said, can lead to snoring, fatigue, or even “a massive heart attack or stroke in the middle of the night.” Monitored Sleep Patients typically sleep for two nights at the center while noninvasively and painlessly connected to monitoring equipment. PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT FINDS A HOME IN FAMILY CARE 2026 Spring/Summer 10
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