By Kevin Thompson
Kendall County is home to a growing number of local and regional healthcare providers.
“In Boerne, you can get primary care like it used to be,” said Dr. Charles McCurley with Sports & Family Medicine of Boerne. “I want my patients to walk in one door and see me.”
Concierge providers like Sports & Family Medicine and Dr. Sara Stuart at Cibolo Family Medicine offer the personal touch many consumers want, while regional hospitals groups have begun offering access to broader networks.
Kerrville’s Peterson Regional and Fredericksburg-based Hill Country Memorial now have referring specialists in Boerne.
Baptist Health Systems’ MedFirst Primary Care has a point near Leon Springs, eleven miles southeast of Boerne on Interstate 10. Dr. Robert Bowling heads the office there.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA), a state-funded medical school, recently opened a new clinic in Leon Springs. It offers primary care, urology, orthopedics, podiatry, pain management and radiology.
The prevalence of specialists in or near Kendall County makes the need to refer to San Antonio rare. “A vast majority of my referrals are to specialists in Boerne,” Dr. McCurley stated.
The Orthopedic Performance Institute, comprised of Drs. Matthew Dwyer, Craig Glauser and Christopher Phelps, has offices in Boerne, Bulverde and San Antonio. The group specializes in joint reconstructions, and general and pediatric orthopedics.
Dr. Aldon Williams of Advanced Spinal Pain Management offers innovative treatment for back and chronic pain disorders at his Boerne and San Antonio offices.
Gastroenterology Consultants of San Antonio and Cardiology Clinic of San Antonio have offices in the Methodist medical office building on Interstate 10 in Boerne. Northeast OB/GYN tested the waters in leased space before constructing a standalone building across from Walmart last year.
Dr. Joseph Peterson is the veteran of several dermatologists practicing in Boerne. Dr. Thusan DeSilva opened his solo practice last year after many years with Dermatology Associates of
San Antonio.
Related health services are also filling out the Boerne market.
South Texas Radiology and Imaging Center (STRIC) and MRI Now eliminate the need to drive to Bexar County for certain scans. In addition, San Antonio-based Avestée Women’s Imaging Center now does mammograms and biopsies in Boerne.
Three laboratory groups handle blood testing locally: Labcorp, Quest Diagnostics and CPL. Three “big box” pharmacies fill prescriptions in town while three boutique pharmacies offer compounding services: Rock Pharmacy, Annie’s Apothecary and the newly opened River Road Pharmacy.
Several clinics offer dental implants, cosmetic dentistry and other oral surgeries in their Boerne offices: Dr. Chet Hawkins and Dr. Kurt Mackie combine advanced dental training in one shared facility. In addition, San Antonio groups Alamo Maxillofacial and Clark & Gossett have offices in Boerne.
A plethora of physical therapy, chiropractic, assisted living and home health care providers operate in Kendall County. Even Lasik surgery is available close by at Dr. Tomy Starck’s Ultravision in Leon Springs.
When time is of the essence, two urgent care facilities are always on in Boerne: Impromptu Immediate Care and Main Street Urgent Care. Most critically, Methodist has operated a full-service emergency center in Boerne for the last decade. It is located 12 miles from the entrance of Cordillera Ranch. There’s no substitute for it, said Dr. McCurley. “The best ER is a close ER.”
One missing feature on the Kendall County medical landscape is an ambulatory surgery center. That is about to change. Gastrointestinal and ophthalmological procedures, for example, that have long been sent to San Antonio can soon be accommodated in Boerne.
Dr. Sonny Cavazos of Sage Bariatric is spearheading a new medical office building, The Palomar, in south Boerne (“SoBo”). The $13 million project will house a surgery center along with other medical offices. The building is midway through construction.
Finally, when necessity calls, the nation’s seventh largest city offers many first-class and world-class options.
The juggernaut South Texas Medical Center is 32 miles from Cordillera Ranch in northwest San Antonio. Eight institutions occupy the 900-acre campus including Baptist Health System, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, University Health System and UTHSCSA.
The U.S. Department of Defense has also centralized military trauma and wound care training at the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC). SAMMC handles more than 4,000 emergency room visits (civilian and military) each month. It is one of only 15 hospitals nationwide that holds both “Level 1” trauma certification and an American Burn Association accreditation.
Boerne / Kendall County Economic Development Corporation President Misty Mayo summarized what is happening with health care in Kendall County. “We are creating a hub of options for our residents,” Mayo said. “As we grow, more and more care will come closer and closer to home.”
Even house calls may return to style. That certainly would be medicine like it used to be.
