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Over the last four years Jamal Zereik, MD has been serving the patients of Texas County Memorial Hospital in the emergency department, but on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2018, Zereik officially became a part of the TCMH family.
Wes Murray, TCMH chief executive officer and Zereik signed a 5-year contract allowing Zereik to continue his care in the emergency department, but this time as a fully-employed TCMH physician.
“When I first came to TCMH, it felt like a good home and just a great place to be,” Zereik said, explaining how he immediately felt welcomed by the staff and the community when he started working in Houston.
“I have been stopped at Walmart and received kind words from patients and their family members countless times,” Zereik said. “Those types of interactions as well as the thank-you cards, letters and positive Facebook comments all drive me to keep working hard.”
Zereik, a board-certified pediatrician, began working in emergency medicine eight years ago, and TCMH has been fortunate enough to utilize him for just over half of that time in the emergency department.
“We are always looking for ways to improve the care our hospital can provide our community and bringing Dr. Zeriek on-board as an employed physician is something we felt was the right thing to do,” Murray said.
Murray explained that emergency department coverage is extremely important to the hospital and the community. He noted that our facility can have a huge impact on helping to save a patient’s life because we are able to care for critical patients quickly and help expedite their transfer to larger medical centers.
“It is much easier to build a stable, productive, and quality-driven department when the whole team is working together to achieve the same goals,” Murray said, mentioning that the only change specific to Zereik is that now he is a part of our TCMH family officially.
“Zereik has been a rock for the emergency department for the many years he has been working here,” Murray said. “The staff know that they can count on him because he is so consistent in the quality care that he provides our patients.”
Murray added that Zereik has always been, and will continue to be, a constant positive contributor to the team of clinicians that makes TCMH stand out.
Zereik is native of Israel and he was born in Jerusalem. Although he attended the University of Yash in Romania, he completed his residency through the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Family is important to Zereik. He grew up in a big family that included five children and he values the relationships that he has with his siblings even though today they live thousands of miles apart.
Medicine is the common denominator that they all share a love for despite the distance between them. Zereik and three of his siblings became doctors and his only sister became a pharmacist.
Zereik and his wife Abby of 26 years, have lived in Farmington for 18 years. Together they have 3 adult boys who are currently enrolled in college at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
When Zereik and Abby are enjoying down time together, they like to visit family overseas whenever they can, but travel with the USA is always something they really enjoy too.
If you are an avid fisherman, it is likely that you may run into Zereik at Montauk State Park. Fishing is just one of the many outdoor activities that Zereik likes to spend time doing.
“Fishing is therapeutic for me,” Zereik said. “I really like all fishing, but it is really easy for me to get away to Montauk for a few hours when I’m in Houston since I always work the night shift.”
Zereik will continue to commute to Houston to work shifts in the emergency department as he has for the last four years.
“It’s the patient feedback that gives me the fuel to keep working so hard,” Zereik said. “To see the happiness on my patient’s faces when they are feeling better is all the reinforcement that I need to keep going.”
“TCMH is a special place, you can feel it when you walk through the doors and interact with the staff,” Zereik said. “I am so happy to be a part of this team.”
The contract between TCMH and Zereik has an effective start date of September 17, 2018.
For further information or any questions regarding Zereik, please contact Texas County Memorial Hospital at (417) 967-3311.