Stephens Memorial Hospital renovates clinic for specialty physicians
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
The specialty doctors who visit patients in Breckenridge now have a newly renovated clinic across the street from Stephens Memorial Hospital.
The hospital hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, March 22, officially opening the Specialty Clinic at 203 S. Geneva St.
The new specialty clinic, across the street from Stephens Memorial Hospital, includes four exam rooms, as well as a waiting room, and offices for the nurses and physicians. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The location was formerly the office of long-time physician Dr. Dwight Nichols, who practiced medicine in Breckenridge for 40 years. Nichols died in 2015, and the clinic has been vacant for about 10 years. The other half of the building houses the offices for Dr. Goodall’s House, a non-profit organization in Breckenridge that helps abused, neglected and traumatized children.
At least 11 specialty physicians visit Breckenridge on a regular basis, treating patients here so that they don’t have to travel out of town for medical services. Those who will be seeing patients at the new clinic include: Dr. Joseph Stafford, cardiology; Dr. Gibbs Wilson, cardiology; Dr. Mustapha Khalife, hematology/oncology; Dr. Iheanyichukwu Ogu, nephrology; Dr. Derek Padon, orthopedics; Dr. Mark Phelan, ophthalmology; Dr. Steven Vaughn, general surgery; Dr. William Warren, podiatry; Dr. Avery Smith, gastroenterology; Dr. Padma Draksharam, hematology/oncology; and Jana Stewart, FNP, gastroenterology.
Seventy percent of the clinic’s renovations — $65,000 — were paid for with a grant, SMH Administrator Brian Roland said at the ribbon-cutting. Not only does the new clinic offer the visiting physicians a new place to treat their patients, but it also benefits the hospital by allowing them to repurpose an old, unused building, Roland said.
The clinic includes a waiting room, reception desk, four exam rooms, a nurses office, an office for the physicians, restrooms and a staff break room. The renovations were designed with the patients in mind and feature floors with an easy-roll surface and a wheelchair-accessible entrance in the back.
Previously, the specialty doctors met patients in a back hall of the hospital, setting up in the operating recovery rooms. The new specialty clinic will be shared by the physicians, who rotate the days that they are in Breckenridge. For more information, check with your doctor.
Cutline, top photo: Stephens Memorial Hospital employees, Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce representatives and other members of the community gathered in front of the newly renovated Specialty Clinic at 203 S. Geneva St. on Friday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
