Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as the title character, a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, who made house calls and was on a first-name basis with many of his patients.
To begin this article, I would like to thank my mentors who made me aspire to be in health care and stay in health care for all of these years.
Boulder has been blessed to have many incredible health care specialists. Let’s start with Doc Philip Pallister, may he rest in peace. The Boulder community will not ever forget him. One example of his care for the community I like to share involves my father, who was in a mining accident. Pallister arrived in an ambulance, stabilized his back fracture and rode with the ambulance crew to Great Falls. My father had a thoracic spine fracture (T12) and Lumbar fractures at L4 and L5. Upon arrival at Great Falls he was told he would not walk again. But he was able to walk again, and I believe Pallister’s care was instrumental.
I’d also like to recognize Dr. Doug Kuntzweiler. I learned so much from him, and I’m sure it caused him some of his gray hair. He also was instrumental in building up the clinic when he came to Boulder. He worked as a Family Practice Doc, delivered babies, saved lives and he also helped with the ambulance. One life he saved was my mother’s. When she came into the clinic while having a heart attack, Dr. Kuntzweiler boarded the ambulance and stabilized her. The community is indebted to him. I hope he is enjoying retirement.
And how can I not mention Dr. Dave Lechner, Dr. Jennifer Shepard, Dr. Richard Sargent and Dr. James Burkholder, a group from Helena who all wanted to make sure Boulder had health care options. They worked here and supported our community for years. Dr. Shepard was instrumental in building the current Boulder Medical Clinic and Jefferson County Public Health.
Lori Lagerquist, PAC, a young pioneer for PA’s in Montana, brought her family to this community and they still are an integral part of the Boulder community. Her family built an assisted living facility – Bear Grass Suites – which is affordable for local families. She continues to provide care for the families of boulder. I am sure we all have a story to share about how Lori helped us. My family has a book!
Danielle Redfield, FNP, and Kari DeBoo, FNP, also worked in Boulder and moved to other practices, Redfield works for St. Peter’s hospital in the allergy department, and DeBoo works for a GI specialist in Missoula. They both hold a special place in their hearts for Boulder, as we all hold a special place in our hearts for them..
Veronica Champer, FNP, currently works at the clinic. She is a great provider. Boulder is blessed to have her.
Last but not least, Mark Kishbaugh, PAC, who recently earned his doctorate degree in palliative care /chronic disease management, will be transitioning to his private practice in Montana City. This is a tough loss for the Boulder Medical Clinic. He did a lot to rebuild the clinic by providing accessibility and excellent care.
So what happened to Marcus Welby? One school of thought, as costs increase in the medical field, smaller intimate practices are forced to sell to larger municipalities. Health care revolves into stream lining, positions, phones, insurance processing, and all go to hubs outside of local control. Cost savings? Probably. Knowing the demographics and culture of the patient population? Probably not.
May the Boulder community always keep their Marcus Welbys.
