Published: June 19, 2008 09:48 am            

Huguley hosts grand opening of Keene office

A new medical office in Keene was created to serve the needs of an expanding population, said Doug W. Bishop, the director of Huguley Medical Associates Inc.

Bishop, along with other hospital and city officials, attended the grand opening celebration on Thursday.

Dr. Louis Retamozo, a Cleburne resident, will serve as the primary care physician for the new office.

The office is located in the 200 block of Hillcrest, across the street from the Southwestern Adventist University campus.

The location was chosen for its convenience and visibility to Keene residents, said Lori Blackwell, operations manager of the new clinic.

“It’s exciting,” Blackwell said. “We’ve already have 12 new patients, including several walk-ins. This new clinic is going to open a lot of doors for a lot of people.”

Keene has one other primary care physician, but the physician is no longer accepting new patients, she said.

Huguley’s goal in opening the new clinic was to meet the community’s need for another physician, Bishop said. As the population grows and develops, the need for more physicians becomes apparent, he said.

“One of the things that the hospital has recognized is the real deficit of primary care physicians in the community,” Bishop said. “Strategically the goal is to provide good quality health care options in the community where we didn’t have one before.”

Keene joins Alvarado and Grandview on the list of Johnson County cities to add a new primary care physician.

Retamozo was one of several candidates to interview for the position in Keene.

“We did interview several physicians, and Dr. Retamozo stood out,” Bishop said. “He’s from the community. He knows a lot of people here. The challenge we have is for people to know him and trust him, and that has already been established. It’s a win-win situation for the community.”

Services available at Retamozo’s office will include vaccinations, physicals, minor procedures and general family practice ranging from pediatrics to geriatrics.

Retamozo said he is “absolutely” excited to work in Keene.

“We’re looking forward to helping everybody, and it’s very nice to be in the area,” he said. “Across the nation and the world right now there is a lack of doctors in rural areas. I wanted to help fill that need. Also, I thought it would be very nice to work close to home.”

Although he was born to a missionary family in Peru and previously served as the assistant professor of family medicine at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, he considers Johnson County to be his home.

He has lived in Cleburne for six years.

        

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