QUINCY VALLEY POST-REGISTER |
PARTNERS |
AFFILIATED SITES |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Copyright 2008 World Publishing Company. All rights reserved. |
|||||
Community health welcomes new doctors
Two new doctors, Maria Celeste Lomarda and Anna Espiritu, are now seeing patients at the Quincy Community Health Center. Both doctors specialize in general family medicine and have been on staff since September.
Lomarda, born and raised in the Philippines, received her medical training from the University of Philippines College of Medicine in Manila. From there, she moved to Akron, Ohio, where she did her residency.
“Family medicine in the Philippines is just starting,” Lomarda said. “I wanted to get a sense of what an established family medicine practice is like.
”Cultural difference means a difference in one’s approach to healthcare. The way one approaches care in Ohio is different than in Quincy.
“You have to know the culture of people you are taking care of, and have to know the context of their diseases and complaints,” she said. “Culture is a huge thing.”
Lomarda plans to stay in Quincy for at least three years.
“I want to get to know the community,” said Lomarda. “This is a really good small town. People know each other.”
Lomarda hopes to possibly one day return back to the Philippines to practice medicine. Before she does, she would like to learn more about children’s and women’s health as well as public and global health.
“I want to know what to do in a health emergency,” she said.
Espiritu, also from the Philippines, was a classmate of Lomarda in medical school. Espiritu did her residency in Tulsa, Okla., at In His Image Family Residence Program.
Espiritu desired to become a doctor began when she was child.
“When I was a kid, I had medical toys,” she said. “It all started from there. I was exposed to hospitals, doctors and nurses often because of my grandmother who had diabetes. When asked when I was young what I wanted to be, I wanted to be a doctor.
”Originally, Espiritu had thought about doing her residency at home. Because family medicine is not an established field in the Philippines, her next option was the United States.
“I was looking for a program that was missions based and oriented,” she said. “I got a lot of exposure to different countries and cultures.
”Espiritu had started working in medical missions while she lived in the Philippines. Her residency program gave her a choice of countries where she could work. Espiritu chose Afghanistan.
“I did anything I was asked to do,” Espiritu said. “I volunteered myself. I want to remember that experience all my life. Afghanistan was an eye-opener. You realize how you are so blessed.”
In the future, Espiritu would like to return to that type of work. She is considering working in other countries such as Nepal, China or Uganda. She has also thought about returning back to Afghanistan and the Philippines. Espiritu would also like to work in urgent care and geriatrics.
