Owensboro Health | Lift | March 2019

Momentum • 1 Momentum A MUHLENBERG COUNTY SPECIAL SECTION OwensboroHealth.org/Muhlenberg Katie Watkins, APRN Q: Where did you complete your training and how long have you been practicing? A: I completed my undergraduate training at Western Kentucky University and my graduate work at Frontier Nursing University. I have been practicing since May 2017 as a cardiac nurse practitioner. Q: Why did you choose cardiology? A: I decided to specialize in cardiology because of its complexity and the impact that heart health has on every body system. Q: Why did you choose Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital (OHMCH)? A: This is my home and has been for 34 years. I love Muhlenberg County and feel like it is an honor to be able to serve my family and friends and the community where I grew up. Q: Is a referral required, or can patients make appointments directly? A: We do get a lot of referrals, but patients may also make their own appointments. The phone number to call is 270-377-2384 . Q: What conditions does OHMCH treat? A: We treat coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation and flutter, congestive heart failure, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and postural tachycardia syndrome. Q: What services and treatments do you offer at OHMCH? A: We offer stress tests, echocardiograms, Holter monitors, cardioversion and implantable loop recorders. If a patient needs more invasive procedures, like catheterization or coronary artery bypass grafts, they may go to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. Q: What advice would you give for maintaining heart health? A: Make healthy diet selections, exercise, keep blood pressure and cholesterol where they should be, maintain a healthy weight, and refrain from tobacco use. G. Scott Reader, MD, FACC Q: Where were you trained? A: I completed my undergraduate degree, medical school and residency at State University of New York at Buffalo. My cardiology fellowship was at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Q: Why did you choose OHMCH? A: It was kind of like coming home. It’s really friendly and a small medical community. Everybody pulls together like family. It was also an opportunity to give people better care. Q: What parts of your job bring you joy? A: Seeing someone come in who’s really sick, helping them get better, and then seeing them continuing to do well. That’s one of the biggest boosts — that you’ve really made a difference in that person’s life. Q: What are your hobbies outside of work? A: My mom was an antiques dealer, so I’ve been in the antiques business for a long time. We’d go “cruising the junk” — throw it in the station wagon and move on. My dad would repair it and sometimes we’d find some treasures. I also like to bicycle, and my wife and I have done quite a bit of hiking. Q: What is one fun and unique fact about you? A: Because my first name is Gayle, I won a national merit scholarship to Chatham College for Women. I really wanted to go but they didn’t let me. That’s why I go by my middle name, Scott. Q: How can people find your office? A: We’re on the second floor of the hospital, in the old pediatric wing. You make two right turns as you come out of the elevator. Q: What types of cardiac care are available at OHMCH? A: We do pacemakers, implantable loop recorders and transesophageal echocardiography. We’re getting ready to start up regular pacemaker checks so patients don’t have to come up to Owensboro to get those done. We also see patients in the ICU and on the cardiac floor. Q: If you could give the general population one tip on how to take care of their cardiac health, what would it be? A: The No. 1 would be, if you’re smoking, to stop. The other things would be to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol controlled, and to exercise. heart specialists Meet two OHMCH