Physicians assistant returns to Marion
Coffee for Bittle is 8 to 10 a.m. Monday in the hospital lobby
Staff reporter
It was like coming home for Nita Bittle when she recently accepted a position with St. Luke Physicians Clinic.
The certified physician's assistant began her career in Marion in 1993 when she worked for Marion Family Physicians. In June 2004, she left Marion and went to Herington Area Health Clinic where she practiced until she returned in September.
Why did she come back?
"I was approached by St. Luke Hospital and saw this as an incredible opportunity," Bittle said.
When the hospital hired Dr. Linda Skiles to head up St. Luke Physicians Clinic, a clinic owned and operated by St. Luke Hospital, officials wanted to offer various levels of care. Who better to recruit than someone who had previously served Marion County residents.
Bittle's goals are to attract former patients back to Marion, provide top quality care in a hometown setting, and to pick up where nurse practitioner Ruth Reed left off with diabetic education.
Her interests are family practice, diabetic education, women's health care, and pediatrics.
One new service that is not offered anywhere else in Marion County is a walk-in clinic from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday through Friday. Patients can be seen by health care professionals at St. Luke Physicians Clinic without appointments.
"The clinic is ideal for acute care like when someone wakes up ill or for a child who is sick during the night," Bittle said. It is not for routine exams or treatments.
The Herington clinic and this clinic is similar, Bittle said, but had some distinct differences. The clinic where she practiced had various doctors who provided health care to their patients. She appreciates being at St. Luke Physicians Clinic because she works with the same physician and staff.
"I appreciate the continuity (of working with the same personnel) and structure of the clinic," Bittle said. "When it comes to patient care, we're more about quality not quantity."
Currently Bittle and Dr. Linda Skiles have their offices and exam rooms where visiting doctors used to set up shop in the building where Marion Family Physicians is located. The former Prairie View building on Maple Street is being renovated for the medical staff with completion slated by mid-December.
The Bittles reside in rural Marion County. Husband Butch is a rancher. The couple has two children — Jacob, 7, a second grader at Centre Elementary School, and Jenna, 1.
Suggestions are welcomed by Bittle, Skiles, and their staff.
Since Bittle's return, she appreciates the reception she has received.
"People have been welcoming and friendly," she said. "It's nice to be back."
