Greenville’s own Dr. Kelsey Thomas, MD, now has one month under her belt as a family medical physician and OB/GYN fellow at Regional Health Services of Howard County RHSHC in Cresco, Iowa.
A member of the Greenville-Weston High School class of 2006, Thomas continued her undergraduate studies at Houston’s Texas Southern University.
There, she conducted a great deal of microbiology research in the lab and performed those same duties with NASA, which is where she initially thought she would end up.
However, as she delved more into biology disciplines, she in turn gravitated toward medicine and went on to attend medical school in the Caribbean and while there, developed a keen interest in obstetrics.
“It was one of those subjects that I could read and read and not ever get tired of it,” she told The Cresco Times.
She grew to love the field while completing her residency in Jackson where she had the opportunity to work in prenatal care which included deliveries.
Thomas described her experience at RHSHC and transition to Cresco as “very rewarding” thus far.
“The reception here has been nice,” she said, noting she and her husband Andrew’s conversations about settling in a rural area that wasn’t in the South.
The two share a three-year-old daughter who Thomas said keeps them quite busy.
“It’s similar to the Delta, but also different in certain ways. The city that I’m in is probably the size of Leland and so you have to go to the next town over to go to Walmart and places like that,” she said, describing Cresco.
One glaring difference, however, is the racial makeup of Cresco’s population, which is 90% white.
Population makeup aside, Cresco has not lacked in its hospitality and support since Thomas’ arrival.
She has lived in Houston, Washington, D.CChicago and Jackson among other places.
“Out of all of those, Cresco has been the easiest one because of all of the support that has been given, starting with the CEO of RHSHC,” Thomas said of her transition.
When she accepted the job, the CEO wasted no time connecting Thomas with the bank CEO to begin the mortgage process as she and her husband decided to build a home there.
Thomas highlighted the bank CEO’S willingness to offer his rental property while she and her husband await the completion of their home.
“That’s just how small the town is, everyone knows everyone and everyone went out of their way to get us into town and help us get settled,” she said. “Even with the daycare, because when we got here the daycare was actually full and my CEO reached out to the board of directors and they found a spot for her.”
Andrew has become a part of the RHSHC family as well.
Having gained experience in human resources and management, he works in RHSHC’s human resources department — an ideal situation for the new Cresco residents.
RHSHC is considered a critical access hospital and Thomas is well-versed in the needs and the kind of care patients seek at such facilities before being sent to a larger hospital that could be likened to UMMC or Baptist.
Before her arrival, there were three male providers.
Now, there are two females including Thomas and another physician, which is comforting and puts many female patients more at ease.
“In a town like this, your family medicine doctor is everything – your pediatrician, your OB/GYN, your cardiologist. And, the population here is made up of a lot of young families and a lot of big families with four or five children so there are a lot of babies being born,” she shared.
It still feels surreal to Thomas that she is doing what she does and doesn’t view her accomplishments in the way one might expect her to, which she attributes to her upbringing.
“I was raised to always be humble and that’s just how I am. You wouldn’t see me on the streets and know that I’m a doctor and all of that. I know what I’m capable of, but at the same time I don’t let it go to my head,” she said when asked about what it means to her to be in such a position.
“I’m still just an average person and really a boring person outside of work,” Thomas said, laughing.
Thomas’ addition has shaped up to be a very welcomed one and her sentiments are returned.
Her family’s happiness and comfortability were at the forefront of her decision to accept the role.
“I’m very blessed and fortunate to have found this job. Some of my cohorts went places and feel like they kind of settled, but here, I don’t feel that way at all,” Thomas added. “I feel like I get that rewarding feeling every day when I come into work because it’s always something different.”
