Lancaster Physician Summer 2019 - 51

SUMMER 2019

Frontline Group Spotlight

News & Announcements

Penn State Health Medical Group
Eastbrook Maintains that Family Feeling

Dr. Clair Hess of Penn State Health Medical Group -
Eastbrook shares a laugh with patient Martha Palmer.

DECADES-OLD PRACTICE JOINED
PENN STATE HEALTH IN 2017

hen Dr. J. Clair Hess completed his
residency in family medicine at Abington Memorial Hospital in 1986, he was drawn
back to his hometown.
"I came back to take care of my parents,
grandparents, aunts and uncles," said the
Lancaster County native. "That's what you
did. You took care of family and others in
the community."
Thirty-three years later, Hess continues to
care for family and friends at Penn State Health
Medical Group - Eastbrook in Ronks, Pa.
Hess fondly recalls examining a patient on her
100th birthday. "As I listened to her heartbeat, I
told her that something sounded a bit off. I asked
her to follow me to the back room so we could
take a chest X-ray." When the woman entered
the room, she was greeted by staff well-wishers
and a big birthday cake.

Hess values that human connection. "We
treat patients as people, not cases," he said.
"When a patient walks in the door, they're not
just a number."
Dr. Vera Guertler agrees. "It's about treating
the person as an individual. I don't think family
medicine would have that therapeutic value if it
didn't have that human connection."
Guertler takes pride in being able to provide
patients with a wide scope of care. "We're not
just gatekeepers. If I see a suspicious lesion on a
patient's back, I can remove it and send it to the
lab for analysis. I don't necessarily need to send
the patient to someone else to have it removed. "
For the Eastbrook team, a big part of family
medicine is administering preventive care and
educating patients. "It's delving into their family
history, establishing their trust so that we can
partner with them," Guertler said. "It's also
important to be sensitive to cultural differences.
What might work in one culture might not
work in another."

LANCASTER

PHYSICIAN

Before joining Eastbrook in October 2018,
Guertler worked at Reading Hospital for 12 years
in employee health and occupational medicine.
She chose to return to family medicine where
she believes she can make the biggest difference.
The 18-member Eastbrook team also includes
Dr. Kathleen Kreider and Lauren Myer, nurse
practitioner. The practice, originally called Eastbrook Family Health Practice, was opened in
1974 by Dr. Ivan Leaman, Dr. John Rutt and
Dr. Henry Wentz, who now lives at Willow
Valley Communities and is a patient of Hess.
It became part of a physician practice group
called Physicians' Alliance LTD in 2004 before
joining Penn State Health in 2017.
"We have a great team here," Hess said.
"Our practice is small enough that we're able
to maintain that family feeling and treat our
patients the way we would want to be treated."
For office hours and to learn more about
the practice's team, visit https://medgroup.
pennstatehealth.org/locations/eastbrookfamily-health-center.

https://medgroup http://www.pennstatehealth.org/locations/eastbrook

Lancaster Physician Summer 2019

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