There’s No Place Like Home
October 31, 2018 4:13 pm
Dr. Gregory Hale vividly remembers his days growing up in Corinth when he and several friends would ride up and down the Shiloh Road strip or head up to Pickwick Lake on weekends. The local bowling alley and skating rink were popular spots for kids to hang out, and everyone attended the football games on Friday nights.
He also remembers the local hospital and the care it provided for members of the community, causing him to think about the field of medicine and pursuing it for his career.
Hale, now on staff at the 200 bed Magnolia Regional Health Center, and a nephrologist at Magnolia Nephrology Clinic, always had a plan to return home so that he could use his medical expertise to treat people around the town and area where he grew up.
“Growing up, I knew I wanted to go into some field of medicine,” said Hale. “Although it took me some time to decide on my medical specialty, it didn’t take long to know that I wanted to come back to Corinth one day to help folks out.”
Why Nephrology?
While rotating through medical specialties, Dr. Hale was exposed to doctors who really enjoyed nephrology. Nephrology is a broad-based specialty, allowing providers to use all areas of their specialty almost every day.
A nephrologist is a physician who has been trained in the diagnosis and management of kidney disease. Nephrologists treat many different kidney disorders including high blood pressure (hypertension), potassium and calcium disorders, protein in the urine, blood in the urine, evaluation of chronic kidney stones, acute kidney disease and kidney failure.
“There is continuity of care with dialysis patients,” said Hale. “Having the opportunity to see them often, and to build those strong relationships with them, is really what I love about providing kidney care.”
By returning home to Corinth, a healthcare need was met, and he was able to practice medicine in his hometown.
The Convenience of Closeness
Nephrology has been a much-needed service for the patients of this region. When Magnolia committed to adding the service line, Dr. Hale was brought on board. Shortly after his hiring, MRHC invested in adding a state-of-the-art inpatient dialysis unit for its patients.
Having these services right here at home is an immediate added convenience for the patients needing kidney care or undergoing dialysis treatments. With dialysis treatments typically comes added burdens on the patient and family. Magnolia Regional Health Center’s dialysis treatment center allows patients to remain closer to home to receive treatments, family members to have less travel burdens, and family work schedules to be less inconvenienced by the typical four hour dialysis treatment times.
“My decision to return home to Corinth has been a great experience for both my medical practice and my family,” said Hale. “I hope to be able to treat the patients of Corinth and the surrounding region for many years to come.”
Most kidney disease is caused by diabetes or high blood pressure, conditions that can run in families. When these two diseases are controlled by treatment, the associated kidney disease can often be prevented or slowed down.
If you are a family member of someone who has diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease, it is a good idea to ask your doctor to check your blood pressure, blood sugar and kidney function at your next checkup. If your family has a history of any kind of kidney problems, you may be at risk for kidney disease.
This post was written by Magnolia Regional Health Center
