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This doctor delivers
KAE L E Y FOWL ER WAS PREGNANT
with her first
son, Atticus, about a year ago. She was living in Spokane and did
not have a regular provider for care but was seeing a different
OB/Gyn provider each time she made an appointment. She
was concerned that these doctors didn’t really know her and,
as a first-time mom, she felt a little anxious.
When Kaeley decided to move to Kelso, she was excited to
be closer to her mom and also that she had already met her
future doctor. On a visit before the move, Kaeley was having
lunch with her mom, who works at one of the PeaceHealth
clinics, and she met one of the doctors in the clinic, finding her
personable and friendly. She set up her first appointment with
Lisa Doherty, MD, and drove from Spokane to meet with her.
“It was great,” Kaeley recalls. “Dr. Doherty was super
personable. Each time I made an appointment, she
remembered what we’d talked about. This was my first child.
It’s scary. Dr. Doherty understood that.”
“I tell all of my OB patients that prenatal care is about
screening for some bad things that can happen, but usually
don’t, and then about reassuring them that all the strange
things that are happening to them are normal parts of
pregnancy,” says Dr. Doherty. “When people understand why
things are happening to them, it really takes fear away from
a process that can be very scary.”
Going the extra mile
When Kaeley went into labor, Dr. Doherty was with her son,
who was having minor surgery. After his procedure, Dr. Doherty
then made sure she was there with Kaeley to deliver Atticus.
Lisa Doherty, MD
Family Medicine
and Obstetrics
PeaceHealth Medical Group
1615 Delaware St.
Longview, WA
360-414-2385
“Dr. Doherty explained everything along the way,” Kaeley
says. “She’s a really good communicator and encouraged me
through the delivery.”
Kaeley likes the fact that, as a family medicine provider,
Dr. Doherty can provide ongoing care for her and her son.
“She knows us and can follow our care,” Kaeley says.
Kaeley’s experience was so good, her cousin also had
Dr. Doherty deliver her baby. Both would recommend
Dr. Doherty for prenatal, delivery, and ongoing care.
“She never makes you feel like a number or is impersonal,”
says Kaeley, adding, “She’s such a real person and easy to
have a conversation with.”
A family doctor—and a friend too
“I became a family medicine doctor because it was the only
specialty that would allow me to deliver babies and remain
a part of the baby’s care as well,” Dr. Doherty says. “I value
the relationship that I build with my patients during their
pregnancy and feel honored that they invite me into their
lives and families.
“So many people don’t know that there are family doctors
that can do OB care,” Dr. Doherty says. “The benefits that
we bring to the table are a thorough understanding of
many medical problems that may have existed before the
pregnancy and how these can impact the pregnancy and
the baby, a nonsurgical approach to labor and delivery, and
continuity of care if the patient chooses us to provide her
newborn care as well. My partners and I often care for three
or four generations of the same family.
“Luckily, in our community, our patients have choices—
midwives, family medicine doctors, and OB/Gyn doctors—
who all bring different perspectives and models of care with
them,” Dr. Doherty continues. “As family medicine providers,
we pride ourselves in our family/patient-centered approach to
care, and our patients appreciate and respond to this as well.”
To make an appointment with Dr. Doherty, please call
360-414-2385
.
For moms,
babies—and
the whole
family
Family medicine/OB
providers are:
■
■
Physicians with a medical
degree and family medicine
residency training
■
■
Specialists in the care of
women and children
■
■
Able to perform vaginal
deliveries and assist with
C-sections
■
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Often the only providers of
prenatal care in rural areas
■
■
Able to provide medical care
for the whole family
“I value the relationship that I
build with my patients during their
pregnancy and feel honored that they
invite me into their lives and families.”
—Lisa Doherty, MD
P AT I E N T P R O F I L E
peacehealth.org3