“I want you to be in the best health you can be where you are.” Those were the words of Dr. Jana Ebbert who has recently come to serve the citizens of Winston County, and practices on the Winston Medical Center campus.
Ebbert is a D.O., a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, rather than a M.D. She explained that as a D.O. she is trained to look at the body as a whole unit, and to diagnose, manipulate and treat ailments with her hands, similar to a chiropractor, but it is different as well. She added that she wants to see the patient in control of his disease rather than the other way around.
Ebbert, who was a nurse for more than 20 years before going to medical school, said that the D.O. philosophy fit the nursing philosophy better than the M.D. She stated that there is nothing wrong with the M.D. model; a D.O. and an M.D. arrive at the same place, but they come from different directions.
She said, “The bottom line with a family physician, you have to find someone you are comfortable talking to, you feel comfortable relating to and you trust. And if you have found that you have found the doctor that’s right for you.”
Ebbert and her husband of 30 years, Lloyd, are from the northern panhandle of West Virginia, in the Ohio Valley. She stated that when they were first married the most important thing for them was raising their family; they have a daughter, Rebecca who is a mother of five, and a son Aaron, a father of three. She did not enter medical school until age 45, after her youngest child had graduated high school.
When asked how she came to Winston County, Ebbert said, “The short answer is, I think God put me here. She added that she is a National Health Service Corps Scholar, which paid for her education, and she owes them four years of service someplace in the United States.
Her recruiter found the position at WMC and advised her to use it as a practice interview. She and her husband fell in love with the people of Winston County, and she was very impressed with the story of the recovery from the 2014 tornado. And they felt that this is where they are supposed to be. They have purchased property on Bond Rd. with a hunting cabin which they plan to add-on to in the future, and plan to make Louisville their home for a long time to come.
Ebbert said that one thing that endeared her to Winston County was the genuineness of the people, and she felt that this was a place where she could truly fill a need.
She added that she has found the term ‘Southern hospitality’ to be true. He said, “Everyone has been extremely helpful and extremely welcoming. Dr. Ard and Dr. Gentry and Dr. Suttle have been more than helpful to me at the hospital and help covering when I needed time off. They have been overly gracious to welcome me and have me as part of the team.” She added that she could not do the job without her team; Christi Stokes, Lynn White, Laura Beth Fulton and Beverly Ingram.
Ebbert stated, “I do truly love it here. I love working here and I’m excited to come to work everyday.”
