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September 10th, 2007: Still Growing... New Doctor Arrives at KDH Health Centre
Kemptville District Hospital
2675 Concession Road, Kemptville, ON K0G 1J0
Tel: (613) 258-6133; Fax: (613) 258-7853
September 10, 2007
For immediate Release – September 10, 2007
Kemptville, ON, September 10, 2007 - He says he’s excited to start and is looking forward to developing his practice at the KDH Health Centre. It’s only been a short time since Dr. John Rathwell and his family arrived in Kemptville. He’s barely had time to unpack the boxes at home and he’s already started meeting with patients and learning more about the area.
The KDH Health Centre is growing again. Dr. Rathwell’s first day was this past Monday where he met with his first patients Paulette and Claude Roy. The Roy’s have lived in the area for some time now and noted their previous doctor was in Russell. “It was far to travel from Kemptville if you needed an appointment so we simply didn’t go,” remarked Paulette. Both she and her husband were happy to hear through the KDH Health Centre of Dr. Rathwell’s arrival and jumped at the opportunity to have their names added to his list of patients.
Dr. Rathwell hails from the Ottawa area and attended the University of Ottawa for bio-chemistry and chemical engineering degrees. Following graduation, he moved to Kingston and Queens University where he studied medicine. He says he’s always wanted to work in a small community and both he and his wife visited several sites from Renfrew and Morrisburg before deciding to settle in Kemptville. “I came for the recruitment dinner last year to meet everyone,” says Rathwell. “I wanted to be in a place where I could be more involved in a patient’s care.”
Dr. Rathwell started working in the ER Department on August 22nd and will continue to pick-up shifts each month while managing his practice at the KDH Health Centre. Lisa LaCombe, the KDH Health Centre Manager shared these thoughts about the direction the Centre is taking. "We’re pleased and excited to have Dr. Rathwell join us at the Health Centre. It is rewarding to see our patient waiting list growing smaller, with every new physician who joins our team. We are now able to tell patients, some who have not had routine medical care in years, that we will be able to set them up with a family physician within 2-3 months. Prior to the addition of the 3 newest physicians, our average wait time was over 2 years. We are very proud of how our centre is growing and expanding,”
By the end of his first day Dr. Rathwell had met with a number of patients. He was pleased with how well the Health Centre staff was organized to help him move from appointment to appointment. Aside from a few computer glitches, things are working out just fine.
If you are without a family physician and would like to see Dr. Rathwell visit the KDH website at Kemptville District Hospital :: Physicians or stop by the KDH Health Centre located next to the hospital at 2671 Concession Road in Kemptville.
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For more information, please contact:
Colin Goodfellow, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: 613-258-6133 x132
cgoodfellow@kdh.on.ca