How long have you worked at Memorial Hospital's Physicians Clinic?
I came as a medical student in 1995 and as a resident physician in 1998-2001 for a few months and worked throughout the hospital with old doctors like Dunnington, Jimmy Taylor, Phil Keeter, Dr. Martin and a few others.
Then when I finished my training in my two specialties with OU, I came to Stilwell in 2001.
What interested you in becoming a doctor?
My wife told me to when we got engaged in college. 🙂
When I went to college I had no idea I was going into medical school, but I had a heart for Christ (by his grace thankfully) and for people who were suffering. I was initially drawn to naturopathic medicine, medical botany, and generally hippie things wrapped up in natural sciences. But Medicine seemed to incorporate all my interest in wholistic healing, caretaking, and natural sciences and made it possible to do it all.
Where did you go to school at?
My dad was a noncommissioned officer in the army so we travelled to Germany a lot. Before high school I was mostly in Germany and some in Braggs and Lawton, Ok. High school was close to Lawton in a small town called Elgin, OK.
College was 5 years at Oklahoma Christian in Edmond, a church of Christ university.
Medical school for my doctorate was at the University of Oklahoma, college of medicine.
Then I did 5 more years (14 total after high school) in Tulsa hospitals getting two specialties (Family medicine and psychiatry) and a subspecialty in psychosomatic medicine, all at the same time through the University of Oklahoma. I took my oral board exams in psychiatry at John’s Hopkins.
What motivated you to become a doctor?
Oh I am so deep into this Christian thing, I can’t separate any of my motivations from the Holy Spirit 🙂 Seriously, I see God’s hand in the whole thing. But, there have been a lot of women who gently steered me into where I’m at for sure. 🙂 I Can’t take any credit for any real motivation. Let’s give that over to the wives, moms, sisters, mother-in laws, grandmas, and daughters who motivated me. 🙂
What do you love about being a doctor?
Scrunchy- faced old Cherokee ladies. 🙂 I love our community hospital and I love the Adair county community that creates and sustains it. Doctoring allows me to love in a very practical and powerful way. Find me another job that lets you save lives, co-suffer with people, offer hope, and function at a really professional level. I am truly blessed. And I finally paid off my last school loan 22 years after starting work! Sure I could make more money almost anywhere now, but every other place would somehow be less.
What do you enjoy about the Physicians Clinic at Memorial Hospital?
Well I get to do everything that a rural doctor would want to do and more. I have a thriving outpatient practice, hospital
Practice, nursing home practice, home health, emergency services, and a geriatric psychiatry unit. I have a whole community of nurses, other physicians, support staff, and non-medical professionals that allow me to practice at a really high level. And I met my wife in medical records. 🙂
What do you enjoy about the Stilwell area?
You know, people are just people, but Stilwell is my community. I tell my priest it’s my parish. I don’t know where my family stops sometimes and the rest of the community starts. Sadly, there isn’t any of us untouched by the drugs, the poverty, the cultural traumas and the like. There is a basic acceptance and forgiveness that Adair county has because we all come from a common bit of suffering and I find that very honest. Adair County is just home now and she has been very kind. Ok, I had one stalker but that’s all better. 🙂
Married, kids? (names and kids ages) hobbies?
I have 4 kids, Zach, Avery, Kaylee and Annie.
Hobbies? Well rural Medicine doesn’t allow a lot of hobbies, that’s one of the sacrifices. I love to read, I gave a sermon recently and that was awesome. It wasn’t very good but still. 🙂 I love tracking humans and animals and all sorts of nature skills. I bet my wife Has sacrificed 100+ long weekends letting me run off to teach or take a tracking/survival or master Naturalist class. 🙂
What else would you like the community to know?
This small little non-profit hospital needs your support. Hospitals like ours are closing all over the United States and doctors are leaving rural America partly because of it.
We need grants, we need people staying in their local community hospital when it’s appropriate. We need our local businesses large and small to see the value of a small hospital, the resources it brings, its employment and attraction to industry.
Help us keep our elderly close to their family when they get sick and support our local services like EMS, hospices, home health. Work in health care in Adair county. If you’re part of a local organization reach out to the hospital and see what it needs. Bring your pastors back into the hospital. Give the hospital feedback and be creative in your solutions. Ask to be part of an advisory board. If you’re on an HR program at your business, ask the hospital how to get involved or how the hospital can serve.
The quickest way to losing a hospital is by neglect and disregard. COVID did a serious number on us, as it did many local services. Come look and see what this awesome little hospital is, was and could be again.
