Medical office has history of care

Thomas Garcia

QCS Senior Writer

Past and current physicians, residents and local officials gathered Friday at Sunrise Medical Group, P.C. for their open house and unveiling of the office renovations for a clinic that has served Quay County for more than 60 years.

“It is something else to come in and see the improvements to this building, said George Evetts, retired physician.

Evetts, who retired in 2006 from family practice, worked at the clinic when he returned to Tucumcari in 1966. He said the original building was built in 1948 by Dr. Thomas B. Hoover, who he practiced with until he changed offices in 1998.

Evetts said he worked with doctor Hoover, and Jess Wallace in the clinic serving the community for 30 years.

“You were in this building before you were even born, when I treated your mom when she was pregnant with you,” Evetts said to Linda Sims, certified nurse family practitioner at Sunrise Medical.

Sims, who has been practicing at Sunrise Medical Group, P.C., since 2006, said she is pleased with the renovations and the public will notice a difference as well. She said there goal with the renovations is to let people know they don’t have to travel out of town for quality healthcare services.

“The doctors and nurse practitioners at this clinic are from New Mexico,” Sims said. “These are hometown care takers who know our way of life and the patients they serve.”

The renovations add to the dedicated staff and 13 health care providers ready to serve the residents of Quay County, said Dr. Randal Brown.

Brown said the renovations done to the building that has housed a medical office for more than 60 years shows that the staff and health care providers at Sunrise Medical Group, P.C., are not planning on going any where.

Brown said last year he and the staff at Sunrise Medical had 15,000 visitors in the office. He said that number is expected to exceed 20,000 in 2016, that is what prompted the need for renovations.

“Its our goal to provide the best local healthcare service in a comfortable environment,” Brown said.

The Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce held the official ribbon cutting for the opening of the remodeled Sunrise Medical Group, P.C. on Friday.