County-owned service welcomes pediatrician, psychiatrist, nurse practitioner
Robbinsville – It might have been once been the most barebones operation around, but today everything at Graham County Urgent Care and Family Practice exudes normalcy.
In an effort to not let county residents go without urgent-care services for too long (a byproduct of the county successfully evicting former lessee Dr. David Castor, in the wake of a court ruling that revolved around Castor's Smoky Mountain Urgent Care not providing the services promised), local officials scrambled to re-open the establishment after Castor vacated the premises Jan. 27.
Just 2 1/2 weeks later – on Valentine's Day, to be exact – the doors of the former county health department were opened to the public once more. But if everything seemed a bit off-kilter, that's because it was.
There were just two faces familiar to patients who frequented the establishment: long-time nursing assistant Dedie Barker and nurse practitioner Meggan Smith, both Graham County natives. Smith was doubling at the time as the interim health director for the county and to make sure the recurring issue of phones being answered was fulfilled, a fresh-out-of-school phlebotomist named Emily McKeehan (another lifelong resident) was brought aboard – but more as a receptionist, since the blood lab was not fully equipped just yet.
And … that was it. Chairs in the lobby were sparse, as was the equipment on-hand: an x-ray machine in the facility was owned by Castor, so the county had to drop a good chunk of change to purchase a new x-ray. Payments could be made only in cash, as the credit-card reader was not functional just yet. Medicare and Medicaid was the only form of billing assistance accepted; it took several months for other insurance providers to give the green light. A part-time resident of Nantahala – Dr. David Booth – signed on as the attending physician, citing the deep love for Graham County he first garnered during his years at Tallulah Health Clinic (now a branch of Appalachian Community Health Center).
Fast forward to five months later and a lot has changed. Barker and Smith survived the seven-day-a-week shifts (with the latter only needing to serve a dual role for just a few weeks, as Donna Stephens was named the new county health director in March); while McKeehan is now married and is finally able to draw blood, since the proper lab equipment came in. Patients can now pay with the typical three methods of cash, check or card; to aid the cause, most insurances are accepted.
But perhaps the most glaring difference for the betterment of patients and employees alike is the number of staff on the team, which has swelled into double digits. The local urgent care recently welcomed nurse practitioners Becca Carver and Chris Woods, as well as Deborah Allen, a certified physician's assistant who also holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in psychiatry.
Smith has long eluded to the need for more staff, to provide both a break for an overworked crew and services for a rural county that might not otherwise be here. Much like Smith, Carver is a family nurse practitioner; Woods is a dual-certified family and acute-care nurse practitioner who will treat all patients – but will be focusing on pediatrics.
Deborah Allen
From suburban Chicago, Allen first discovered the beauty of western North Carolina through mountain biking. She has called the area home since 1999; in fact, her first official job out of school was in 2007, at Tallulah Health Clinic, where she worked for six years.
"I knew when I moved down here that I wanted to go into medicine," said Allen, who formerly worked in the field of marketing. "I met my first PA down here and that kind of guided me in that direction, because I was at a career crossroads."
In addition to her radio and television degree from Southern Illinois University, Allen stopped just short of completing a biology degree at Western Carolina University; opting instead to attend Duke University to become a physician's assistant.
Following the stint at Tallulah, Allen later joined the emergency-room staff at Cherokee Indian Hospital; after four years, she began focusing on expanding her horizons into the field of psychiatry.
Allen has been helping with weekend shifts at urgent care, but hopes to implement more of her passion for psychiatry at the clinic – in a variety of ways.
"PAs (physician assistants) are trained as generalists, so we can work in any aspect of medicine," Allen said. "We see a lot of psychiatry through everyday practice, but what I liked was being able to develop more of a relationship with patients. It's nice to build relationships and treat issues before they end up going to the ER."
Her shift to psychiatry occurred in 2018; she obtained her Certificate of Added Qualifications in 2021.
"It's been really fun and nice to see patients that I knew from Tallulah," Allen said. "I've seen some old faces and some faces that have grown quite a bit since I was there. To tie this all together, Dedie (Barker) and I actually both started at Tallulah together, on the same day. So when she called me about coming here, it was good timing because I was ready to get back to work. I have always enjoyed working with her and always will."
Becca Carver
In keeping with the theme of (mostly) hiring local, Carver is a Robbinsville native.
She received a nursing degree from Tri-County Community College in 2008 and several years later, resumed her pursuit and was afforded a bachelor's of science in nursing from Western Carolina University in 2019. Most recently, Carver secured her master's of nursing to become a family nurse practitioner from Carson-Newman University (Jefferson City, Tenn.) in May. She completed her master's degree while working as a full-time nurse during the COVID pandemic and has experience in outpatient urgent care and surgery.
Carver cites her strong upbringing as the root of her love for healthcare.
"I grew up in a loving family and have always had a heart to help others," Carver said. "I understand that each patient is unique and needs a unique approach. I will treat each of them as one of my own family members, and strive to be a kind, knowledgeable and compassionate team member of Graham County Urgent Care and Family Practice."
Chris Woods
A native of Newnan, Ga., Woods began his healthcare quest in 2009 and became a nurse practitioner in 2018. He obtained a bachelor's degree from Western Governors University (an online institution, based in Millcreek, Utah) and his master's from Southern Adventist University in Chattanooga. Woods was employed by Smoky Mountain Urgent Care and worked in Robbinsville for 1 1/2 years.
"During my rotation in pediatrics, I fell in love with it," Woods said. "I really enjoy seeing kids and treating them. They're at an age where they can't always express themselves, so I get to take care of them. Plus, I get to take care of babies and that brings me joy; you can't be upset when you see a baby."
A fun fact to file away for a rainy day: instead of the traditional lollipop, Woods offers his patients a popsicle at the end of a visit.
"We get to see kiddos and fix them. That makes their lives better – and ours, too," said Woods. "It's nice having this here, because patients don't have to drive to Murphy, Sylva or wherever, they have someone who enjoys and specializes in pediatrics right here."