Beaufort Memorial Breast Surgery Program Expands Reconstruction Care Close to Home

The Beaufort Memorial Breast Care & Surgery program has stepped into a new era with the addition of a board-certified plastic surgeon – and her background in reconstruction – to the surgical team.

Dr. Heidi Harrington, M.D. brings over two decades of experience to the helm of Beaufort Memorial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetics, a practice now seeing patients for state-of-the-art reconstructive and cosmetic surgery services at its location in Okatie.

Dr. Harrington has joined forces with Tara Grahovac, M.D., FACS, a board-certified and fellowship-trained breast oncology surgeon, to offer breast reconstruction procedures right here in Beaufort County – procedures that, prior to Dr. Harrington’s arrival, required patients to travel to Charleston and MUSC Health for care.

The partnership between Dr. Harrington and the Beaufort Memorial Breast Care & Surgery Program means that a patient’s mastectomy and the subsequent reconstruction can now be performed in a single “direct-to-implant” surgery. Instead of Dr. Grahovac traveling with a patient to Charleston for the procedure and follow-up appointments, it can all be done here in Beaufort County.

“To elevate the care of patients with breast cancer in this area – to commit and do it well – means having a duo, a team of surgeons that includes reconstructive support,” said Dr. Grahovac. “It’s much more convenient to do it here, but we wanted quality and convenience. Bringing Dr. Harrington here was a part of that.”

Not only are patients able to have the procedure completed closer to home and among their own support system, but the procedure itself allows for reconstruction at the time of the mastectomy, in one single direct-to-implant procedure. The “prepectoral” procedure (where reconstruction is done above the patient’s pectoralis muscle) reduces overall discomfort for patients and, of course, eliminates the need for two separate surgery appointments.

While convenient, this also offers mental benefits, too, Dr. Harrington said.

“Studies have for a long time shown that patients do better when they are able to have their breast reconstruction done at the same time as the mastectomy,” she said. “From a psychological standpoint, from a self-identity standpoint, we just see better overall outcomes for patients that don’t have to go through a phase where they feel ‘disfigured’ or ‘not whole.’”

The partnership between the surgeons allows patients to not only have the best quality care possible, but to have the care available close to home, too.

“Beaufort Memorial is committed to expanding its services to fit the needs of a growing region,” said Beaufort Memorial President and CEO Russell Baxley. “This exciting partnership shows our dedication to providing specialty care to our patients at the highest level possible.”