MOUNT CARMEL - Dr. Robert J. Thurick II admits establishing a private practice nowadays, especially after losing a leading position when Saint Catherine Medical Center Fountain Springs declared bankruptcy in April, is not going to be an easy task, but he says he's up for the challenge.
Thurick, former co-director of hospital medicine at Saint Catherine, opened his practice at 6 S. Oak St., in the former Ace Electric building, in January, before the hospital closed. He said he wants to remain in the borough, having turned down an offer from Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown.
"It's hard to recruit doctors in the coal region. I am here to take care of the people I grew up with, to give back to those who were formative in growing up here," said Thurick, a native of Ashland. "I want to stay in the community, but it's hard."
Ashland native
Thurick, 33, a 2008 graduate of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, isn't relying solely on his private practice for income. He's also medical director at Ridgeview Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home in Shenandoah, and he's waiting for staff privileges at Sunbury Community Hospital.
"They're three separate entities, and I'm trying to survive," he said.
A typical, thriving private practice will see more than 2,000 patients on a regular basis. Thurick has a couple hundred.
"It's increasing recently, more and more people calling," he said. "Some want to go to a local doctor, others are not happy with their current doctor, others are from Saint Catherine's."
Thurick is a 1998 graduate of North Schuylkill Junior/Senior High School, a 2002 graduate of Lebanon Valley College and a 2004 graduate of Penn State University, where he earned his master's in health administration. He completed his residency at Lehigh Valley Hospital.
He has two part-time employees, four exam rooms, a waiting area, a nursing station and plenty of room to expand in the back of the building, he said.
He said he specializes in internal medicine, including diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension and other types of heart disease.
Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call 339-2636.