Profile in Caring: Elton Fennell, MD
It is a long way from Yemassee, South Carolina to Lawrence, Massachusetts, not just in miles but also in the pace of life. Yemassee, a rural community in the southern most region of the Carolinas, is where Dr. Elton Fennell spent his youth. There were fewer than 200 families residing in Yemassee when Elton grew up there. His Southern roots are evident in his quiet reserve and genuine warmth, which he brings to his practice here in Lawrence. Since joining our medical staff this past January, Elton has improved patient access to expanded OB/GYN services by offering his skills at all four clinic sites.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your background?
A: I grew up in South Carolina, did my undergraduate studies at the University of South Carolina, and went on to medical school at American University of the Caribbean located in Montserrat. After that, I did a three-year residency in Family Medicine at East Tennessee State University, and then spent a few years in private practice in Alabama and in emergency medicine in Tennessee. Because I missed teaching, I decided to pursue a fellowship in Primary Care Faculty Development at Michigan State University. That led me back to East Tennessee where I completed a second residency, this one in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and then stayed on for several years as an Assistant Professor. In early 2003 I moved to Menomonie, Wisconsin and practiced mostly obstetrics at the Red Cedar Clinic, which is part of the Mayo Clinic Health System. In 2008, I left Wisconsin to do a fellowship in Pelvic Surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA. My wife is from Colorado, so we intended to head back west. But we stayed around a year after my fellowship; and then a year turned into another year and so here I am.
Q: Why OB/GYN?
A: After completing my fellowship in Faculty Development, I returned to East Tennessee State University as part of its clinical adjunct faculty as well as Associate Program Director in the Family Medicine Residency Program. It was university politics, however, that put me on the OB/GYN track. The Residency program needed a stronger obstetrics rotation and curriculum, so the University decided to offer a fellowship in obstetrics – very similar to the one offered here at GLFHC. At this same time, the University created an OB/GYN Residency. They worked it out so I could do some of my family medicine attending duties and also train in the OB/GYN Residency. Following graduation, I resumed my faculty position in the Family Medicine Residency; eventually, however, I transferred from the Family Medicine department into the OB department because I wasn’t getting enough gynecology cases needed to pass Boards.
Q: Although you’ve only been here a relatively short time, what are your impressions of the Health Center?
A: GLFHC is very different from any place I’ve been. I’ve worked in other community health centers, but this is certainly the largest. Because the patient population is mainly Spanish-speaking, the challenge for me is in expressing myself correctly and making certain I understand what the patient is saying.I also spend a half-day a week doing just acute care. Here I see firsthand the high demand for appointments. With very few other providers in the area able to offer Spanish interpretation, the Health Center meets this huge need for the community. I think overall it’s a big busy place serving a unique purpose.
Q: You and your colleague, Dr. Rottman, take different approaches based upon your training. How has that worked out?
A: It is working well, but it is still in a bit of flux. What will eventually happen is that the referring providers will be the ones who will direct referrals based on what services the patients need. But already, by having both of us in-house full time, our services are much more consistent and certainly much more accessible from the patient’s perspective. I know in the past they have had an OB/GYN physician here only one day a week and now those services are available five days a week. Most of the surgical procedures for gynecology issues are now available as well. Having patients seen in a timely manner is more seamless now.We also hope to capture the patients that would have left the Health Center during their pregnancy to be seen by an obstetrician. Some women just prefer to be treated by an OB/GYN instead of a family physician. With that service now available, we’re finding that many of these women are more comfortable continuing to receive their care within the Health Center system. By having Dr. Rottman and me on staff, GLFHC is offering a full range of OB/GYN services along with those provided regularly by many of our other Family Practitioners. It’s all part of being a patient-centered medical home.