Vascular Screening Should Be Part of Routine Healthcare
January 9, 2013Stacey Ozias Joins TCMH Physical Therapy Department
January 9, 2013Texas County Memorial Hospital inked a four-year deal this week with Joshua Wolfe, MD, a family medicine physician and obstetrician.
Wolfe is a third-year resident at North Colorado Family Medicine Residency in Greely, CO, and he will join TCMH as a full-time employed physician on August 1, 2013 after his residency program ends. Wolfe and his wife, Melissa, and their three children plan to relocate to Texas County next summer.
Dr. Wolfe grew up in Tennessee and Colorado, and Melissa Wolfe spent part of her youth near Warrensburg, Missouri. They specifically sought post-residency employment for Dr. Wolfe in rural America, and they are “looking forward to raising their family in the Ozarks”.
“Melissa and I are delighted to have found an excellent place to practice family medicine and raise our young and growing family,” Dr. Wolfe said. “We have been discussing for some time what kind of area would fit us well as we balance raising our three boys with my desire to practice full-spectrum medicine.”
The Wolfes visited TCMH and Texas County in mid-June. Dr. Wolfe sought a place to practice medicine with inpatients and outpatients from birth to the end of life, including practicing obstetrics with surgical privileges.
“Texas County stood out to us before we even started looking for jobs because of a unique combination of small, rural towns and a progressive hospital capable of caring for diverse medical issues,” Dr. Wolfe said.
Wes Murray, chief executive officer at TCMH, expressed his excitement in signing Wolfe. “Dr. Wolfe has the type of skills that are desired in hospitals across the nation, and we are very fortunate to bring him and his family to Texas County to live and to build a practice,” Murray said.
“We believe that adding a physician that provides obstetrical care in the TCMH Family Clinic in Licking will enhance the level of care we are able to provide in our outlying clinic,” Murray said.
Dr. Joshua and Melissa Wolfe and their 3 boys
The Licking clinic has not had a full-time physician practicing obstetrics in eight years. TCMH has many obstetrics patients that travel from the Licking are to deliver to the hospital’s obstetrical unit.
“We are extremely pleased to add obstetrical care for patients in the Licking area, and we know that everyone in the Licking area will benefit from the full-spectrum of family medicine services that Dr. Wolfe will be able to provide to his patients in the clinic and in the hospital,” Murray said.
Wolfe will fill a role being vacated by Dr. John Paulson in mid-July. Kimberly Olving, physician assistant at the TCMH Family Clinic in Licking, currently patients of all ages in the clinic, and she will continue to practice at the clinic five days a week. Dr. Jonathan Beers, an internal medicine physician at the TCMH Medical Complex in Houston, and Dr. Diana Koenig, a family medicine physician at the Summersville Community Clinic, will also see patients at the Licking clinic until Wolfe arrives next summer.
“I want to encourage our patients that are currently receiving care at the TCMH Family Clinic in Licking, to continue to seek care from our providers there with the assurance that Dr. Wolfe will assume their care when he arrives next summer,” Murray said, adding that patients without a healthcare provider can also seek care at the Licking clinic from the providers that are currently in the clinic.
“The signing of Dr. Wolfe to the Licking clinic is key in our hospital’s commitment to providing quality healthcare to patients throughout Texas County and the surrounding area,” Murray said.
Dr. Wolfe has an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He attended medical school at the University of Colorado, Denver School of Medicine.
“We look forward to getting to know the people of Licking and Texas County and working together to improve the health and well-being of our community,” Dr. Wolfe said.
The Wolfes have three boys, Nathanael, age 4; Peter, age 3, and Timothy, age 1.