When Boonville’s Pinnacle Regional Hospital closed in February 2020, area residents risked losing access to the doctors who had cared for their families for decades.
Five months later, the MU Health Care Family Medicine Clinic in Boonville opened. It is staffed by former Pinnacle Regional Hospital family doctors Mona Brownfield, MD, and Robert Koch, MD, along with nurse practitioner Lori Weekley, FNP.
“Dr. Koch has been in Boonville for 35 years and I’ve been here for 20 years, so having their own primary care physicians they’ve known for most of their lives suddenly gone was a hard blow to people,” Brownfield said. “The new clinic has helped bring back the providers the patients know and trust. They’re able to get their health care locally instead of travelling.”
For Boonville area patients who already saw MU Health Care doctors for specialty care, now their primary care physician and specialists will share the same electronic health record. That will ensure clear communication.
“Before, I would have to try to get the record or rely on a patient telling me what happened at the specialist’s office,” Brownfield said. “Now, not only can I see exactly what the specialist did, I can see the results and not have to repeat labs that have already been done. When we need to, we can directly reach specialists through the electronic health record and shared email.”
The clinic is located at 102 Isle of Capri Blvd. In-person and virtual appointments are available. To schedule an appointment, call (660) 882-3585.
“The new Boonville family medicine clinic supports MU Health Care’s mission to maintain local access to quality health care,” said Michael LeFevre, MD, chair of the MU School of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine.