Steve Harmic
May 1, 2023
Patient Doris Carns visits with Dr. Richard Johnson during a wellness exam in her home. Dr. Johnson and other medical professionals at the Susquehanna Wellness Clinic are available for in-home visits for the convenience and safety of their patients.
CLEARFIELD, PA. – Your hometown doctor making house calls may seem like something that only exists today in reruns of Little House on the Prairie or in Norman Rockwell paintings. However, it is still very much a reality in Clearfield County, where doctors from the Susquehanna Wellness Clinic, a division of Mature Resources, offer a touch of personal, hometown care with in-home visits.
Doctors Jessica Ayres, Baltazar Corcino, and Richard Johnson, along with a team of nurses and other medical professionals, visit patient homes for regular medical appointments, wellness checks, and even to fill and manage prescriptions on-site for those who find travel difficult.
“It provides peace of mind for the patient and their family,” Dr. Johnson said during a recent home visit. “We can see them right here in their homes, they can have family present if they like. We can give an overall evaluation while they’re in their most comfortable environment and determine what, if any, further care is necessary. Those of us with experience and proficiency can make a very good evaluation in the home.”
Home visits also provide patients with professional insight into their surroundings that could help them to stay safe and healthy in their home. Johnson shared, “It’s helpful to see patients in their homes so you can evaluate the environment as well as the patient. You can see if things can be rearranged or positioned differently to better suit their needs.”
Johnson recently paid a visit to the home of Doris Carns, who resides with two roommates in a shared house owned by Mature Resources Foundation. The residents maintain independent living with the help of caregivers, as well as family members like Doris’ daughter, Brenda Daniel. Daniel said home visits are a great help to those caring for loved ones, and the patients alike. She said, “This is like taking a step back in time, that the clinic is providing this wonderful service of having doctors available to see people in their homes. And the exposure they have to so many more people when going into a doctor’s office puts them at a higher risk of getting sick than it does to have a doctor come to them.”
“It’s very convenient. I get to see the doctor, and I don’t even have to get dressed up, get my hair done, and get in the car,” Doris joked. For the 81-year-old, a home visit with any doctor would be appreciated, but it is made extra special for Doris because it’s Dr. Johnson who has come to see her. “He has been my doctor for more than 30 years,” Doris revealed. “He has such a special bedside manner.”
That bedside manner comes from a genuine desire Johnson has to see his patients as people, not illnesses, and to build relationships. Johnson said, “We develop a relationship where I know them, I know the patient, I know their families. It’s a holistic approach. I’m not looking at a disease process, I’m looking at the person. I get to know them, their kids, grandkids, their extended families. And I get attached to them. With Doris, for instance, I also took care of her husband. And she has taken care of me.”
“When he was in the hospital, I sent him a card,” Doris explained. “And rhubarb pie.”
Doris’ experience with Dr. Johnson has given her reason to trust other members of Johnson’s family with her health as well. She said, “The dentist I go to is his son, and his daughter in my podiatrist.”
New patients are also welcome to schedule an appointment with Dr. Johnson, Dr. Ayres, or Dr. Corcino. Call 814-765-2695. The SWC has locations at 1924 Daisy Street Extension in Clearfield, as well as 28944 Frenchville-Karthaus Highway in Frenchville. For more information, visit http://www.susqwell.com/ or email info@susqwell.com