An increasing demand for orthopedic care has led Wallowa Memorial Hospital in Enterprise, Ore., to hire an orthopedic surgeon for the first time in 10 years, according to the Wallowa County Chieftain.
Bradley Smith, a surgeon specializing in sports medicine, began seeing patients at the hospital on June 1. The last orthopedic surgeon the hospital employed was Bradford Stephens, MD, who retired in 2011.
In recent years, a visiting surgeon would see patients at the 25-bed hospital between two and four times a month, with some procedures being performed outside the county, according to the report.
"Previous volumes have not supported a full-time orthopedic surgeon," Brooke Pace, communications director at Wallowa Memorial, told the publication. "We were able to partner with Grande Ronde Hospital to provide visiting specialist services for the last 10 years."
Ms. Pace said Dr. Smith's quality of work, experience working in a rural setting and desire to work part-time made him a "perfect fit" for the hospital.