VCOM 2016 Annual Report

Alumni Living the Mission

Returning home to serve a small community T he C-Health practice in Honaker, Virginia, has come to attract Edward Via College While finishing residency in 2015, Kevin Wess, DO, was

support for an elderly woman who lives on the other side of town, serving the residents of a small community makes the past long nights of studying in the VCOM library worth it. Both said it was VCOM– Virginia campus’ mission of returning physicians to rural Appalachia that drew them to the college and it was that same mission that brought them back home.

searching for the right place to practice in southwest Virginia. Wess grew up in Richlands, Virginia, the neighboring town of Honaker. “It was the plan from the start for me,” said Wess. “I knew we needed doctors in the area.”

of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)–Virginia campus

alumni. Currently, two alumni joined the practice where they serve the community that inspired them to become the physicians they are today. Russell County, which houses Honaker, is home to 28,264 residents but only 14 practicing primary care physicians. For every 2,018 residents, there is one primary care physician. Lindsay R. Wilson, DO, grew up in Honaker. She did not realize how impactful returning to the community where she grew up would be. “I decided once to try to figure out how I knew all of the people we saw and it was pretty surprising,” she commented. “It is different if you’re taking care of the wife or grandmother of someone that you know. Or somebody that you went to school with.” While Wilson said she has compassion and genuine care for all of her patients, it is the individuals she has a personal connection with that tug at her heart.

When evaluating where to practice, Wess not only

thought of the need of the community, but those who were already practicing there. It was Wilson who served as a driving force for Wess to practice in Honaker. Wilson and Wess know practicing in Honaker is the right choice for each of them. The rewarding

“It was the plan from the start for me. I knew we needed doctors in the area.” - Dr. Kevin Wess

moments far outweigh the difficult ones.

Whether they are making a life changing diagnosis for someone they see in town each day, or providing much needed

“For [a patient] to come back in and say ‘it was you being curious about it that saved my life,’ that’s a big deal. That makes you feel good,” - Dr. Lindsay Wilson

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