130 C DOTHAN & HOUSTON COUNTY – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow
Pictured L to R, front row: Dr. Buren Wells, Dr. Mary Lynn Parker, Dr. Kenneth Roberts, Dr. Donna West, Dr. Frank Crockett , Dr. Wes Nelson and Dr. John Wessner; back row: Karen Peters, Mischel Weaver, Renay Shuemake, Deborah Dickerson, Carolyn Taylor, Kay Battle, Wendi Smith, Geisha Stuckey, Robin Meeker and Corine Givens Below: Dr. Buren Wells and daughter, Dr. Mary Lynn Parker
WEST MAIN MEDICAL CENTER est Main Medical Center in Dothan has always been a family affair, and today, as when it was founded by Dr. Buren E. Wells, every patient is treated like family—with genuine concern and compassion. Dr. Wells and his wife Jane moved back to her hometown of Dothan in 1961 to begin his medical practice after he finished his medical training. Jane helped her husband set up that first office, and worked there as well, keeping the books among other things. Wells’ practice was successful from the beginning, and as other physicians joined him, it continued to prosper. In the early eighties, the practice outgrew its original home behind Plaza Pharmacy, and construction on a new building to accommodate the expansion began. In 1983, this office was completed, and West Main Medical Center opened its doors. Also in 1983, Dr. Frank T. Crockett, married to Dr. and Mrs. Wells’ daughter Olivia, established his Internal Medicine practice at West Main Medical Center. Then, in 1996, Dr. Mary Lynn Wells Parker, the Wells’ younger daughter, moved back to Dothan with her husband and joined her father in medical practice. She was able to work with him until his
W
retirement in 2003. He then passed the torch to Parker and Crockett, who now run the office along with Dr. Wells’ longtime business manager Karen Peters. Because many of the doctors at West Main Medical Center are from Dothan and the surrounding areas, they keep their practice and its philosophy rooted in the community they serve. They truly know their patients, and by sharing the same
heritage and values, West Main Medical Center staff can better care for them. But the practice has also expanded to include the knowledge and perspectives of doctors from other areas, offering its patients the best of both worlds. Through the almost half-century since its founding, West Main Medical Center has evolved to include state-of-the-art lab technology, including in-house X-ray capabilities with an on-staff radiology technician and radiologist. Currently, the practice is in the process of converting to electronic medical records. But the staff at West Main Medical Center work diligently to ensure that advances in technology will never get in the way of one-on-one, personal patient care. And that care extends outside of West Main’s office walls. Each individual in the practice is heavily involved in multiple community outreach projects, including local churches, Little League baseball, arts and service organizations and local charities. In 2005, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama and American Medical Association honored Dr. Wells for serving 50 years in the practice of medicine. According to Dr. Parker, her father’s most significant contribution to Dothan was his caring nature. “My dad was always genuinely concerned for his patients, and he was available to them always, from the time he went into practice until he retired,” she says. Today, West Main Medical Center is keeping Dr. Wells’ legacy of quality care alive.C