Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
The town of Hillsboro once again has a doctor’s office, located in the facility formerly operated by the Drs. Browning and, later, Community Care of West Virginia.
Seeing a need for a clinic in the area, Rainelle Medical Center opened the Hillsboro Medical Center July 1.
Open Monday through Thursday, the facility offers urgent care, primary care, women’s healthcare, pediatrics and behavioral health.
The primary professional at the center is Julie Quillin, FNP-C, who joined RMC two weeks ago.
She attended the Greenbrier School of Practical Nursing and worked at a family practice at Low Moor before joining RMC.
“I am an advanced practice registered nurse,” she said. “A nurse practitioner can basically do the same things that a doctor does, with the direction of a supervising physician. I do have a collaborating physician so if I feel like I get into a spot where I need a little bit of help, I can say, ‘can you help me with this patient?’
“[Nurse practitioners] are just an added arm or part of the collaborative team, so I try to never think of myself as a sole person, because it takes a village – especially with patients who have more than one chronic illness. I always think two minds are better than one.”
Quillin is accepting new patients and said she looks forward to getting to know the people in the Hillsboro area and keeping them well.
“I’m hoping to keep people local and make them feel comfortable in the event something [health-wise] happens,” she said. “I refer a few things out to specialists, but I try to manage everything right here so people don’t have to travel. We also offer home visits to those who are homebound. In the event that someone is critically ill, post-hospital, it can be very cumbersome to get to the office to be seen.”
While Quillin is focused on the physical side of care, her colleague, Tyra Cochran, MSW, LGSW, is the behavioral healthcare provider.
“We are trauma informed care here,” she said. “I offer parent/child interaction therapy which is for disruptive behavior with kids and helping their parents to learn how to deal with that, and how to get the desired responses out of their children.”
Cochran works with individuals of all ages, but is really dedicated to helping children.
“I have such a deep desire to help kids,” she said. “It has been a passion of mine since I was a young adult, and once my kids were raised, then I could pursue avenues I wanted. I chose social work because there’s so many aspects where you can help people.”
Cochran formerly worked with the Department of Health and Human Resources and the Children’s Home Society before joining the RMC.
As a behavioral healthcare provider, Cochran said she has worked with individuals to improve their mental health, but still sees people shy away from admitting they need help.
“There is a stigma to it, and what Rainelle Medical Center is really trying to do is break those barriers and take away that stigma,” she said. “It’s just as important to have a healthy mind and to be comfortable as it is to be well.
“None of us are perfect,” she continued. “We’ve all got problems, and it’s just a matter of learning how to deal with them.”
The staff is rounded out by nurses Jessica Amick and Amy Wimer, and medical assistant Katie Broce.
Amick has been with the RMC for five years and was excited to be part of the team at the newest clinic in Hillsboro.
Broce has worked in the medical field for 15 years and was a medical assistant for Dr. Pat Browning in the same office.
Wimer is in transition from a previous job and will be joining the team shortly.
The center accepts payments on a sliding scale, and Quillin can accept all insurances.
Cochran can accept all insurances but Medicare.