MEDICINE LODGE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (MLMH) - Key Persons
Dr. Beecher was born in Englewood, CO. He graduated High School from Medicine Lodge, KS and from there he completed medical school at Kansas City University of Medical and Biosciences. Dr. Beecher attended Via Christi Family Medicine Residency in Wichita, KS following his medical degree training.
Dr. Beecher loves family medicine and he is very passionate about the chance to build relationships with his patients and their entire family. He sees patient care as a two-way street. Dr. Beecher appreciates the ability to make a decisions about care with his patients instead of for them. Outside of work Dr. Beecher loves spending time with his family, traveling, and watching sports.
Dr. Woodruff was born in Wichita and spent the majority of his childhood in Shawnee, Kansas. He graduated from Shawnee Mission Northwest and then went to Pittsburg State University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Dr. Woodruff attended the University of Kansas in Wichita and followed his medical degree with training in the Family Medicine specialty at Via Christi in Wichita. He decided to become a doctor in the third grade but ultimately joined the medical field to care for and love his neighbors. His passion for Direct Primary Care stems from his desire to take care of the whole person- mind, body, and spirit. Dr. Woodruff loves finding local adventures with his wife, Sarah, and their two dogs. He is also passionate about traveling the world to experience the beauty of creation.
Patty has been an RN since 1976 and a Nurse Practitioner since 2005. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the then West Chester State College. After seeing a need in her rural community, Patty pursued her master's degree in nursing as a Nurse Practitioner from St. Louis University in 2005 and finished her Doctorate in Nursing Practice, also from St Louis University in 2012. Patty is certified in family practice.
Starting her career in a large metro hospital in Washington, DC, Patty has worked in a variety of settings. These settings include home health in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kansas and hospital nursing in Harper and Kiowa, KS. She continues to volunteer with meals on wheels and occasionally at the Barber County Health Department.
As a nurse practitioner, Patty provides evidence-based primary care in ambulatory, acute and long-term care settings. She diagnoses and manages acute, episodic and chronic illnesses with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention to individuals, families and groups. Having worked in a rural community since 1985, Patty is well-versed in all aspects of rural healthcare and the need for improved healthcare delivery to this population. She has numerous professional affiliations and is an active member of the Kansas Maternal Child Health Committee, the South-Central Hospital Emergency Preparedness Committee and started an Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee that includes both hospitals in the frontier county.