Renae Crawford has provided medical care at the Eastern Plains Medical Center of Calhan for seven years. As a nurse practitioner, she began traveling to the eastern plains when the community advisory board for the original nonprofit clinic contracted with the company she worked for.”After four months, it looked like the clinic was going to close,” Crawford said. “With the backing of my husband, I approached the advisory board and asked if they would allow a nurse practitioner to take over the practice.”The board agreed, but Crawford added that there were few choices left at that point. The clinic had lost its original doctor and couldn’t afford to pay a high enough salary to attract a replacement.”It’s been a nice, amazing thing for me,” Crawford said, as she choked up a bit.Since taking over the practice, Crawford said the clinic has quadrupled the patient base and is self-sustaining. The staff has grown from four to 16 employees, she said.In 2008, EPMC built a 3,000 square-foot facility with six exam rooms, an X-ray area, a trauma center and a triage room. Crawford said they have already maxed out the space, pointing to the ophthalmology equipment that shares her office space.Crawford said the clinic serves patients in a 40-mile radius. “The next closest clinic is in Limon,” she said. “We get patients from Elizabeth, Ellicott, Rush and Falcon.” EPMC is one of three or four providers in the Pike’s Peak region that accepts Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus, Colorado’s coverage for low-income children.The clinic is a family practice – offering basic health care for all ages. “We are the front line of health care, which is a joy,” Crawford said. “I treat anything from a laceration or a fall, to a rash or cold.”She also manages chronic problems like hypertension and arthritis. “If there is something more complex like abdominal pain, I will evaluate to see if I can manage it or if I need to send it on,” Crawford said.Her role is a good fit, and she is happy with it. “It is so lovely to go to work and take care of people and help people as part of your job,” she said. “That’s what is the most gratifying – to make a difference in people’s life on a day-to-day level.”Crawford said she was drawn to health care after her two brothers with muscular dystrophy passed away in their teens. “As a young adult, I was really trying to find meaning and purpose,” she said. “I realized that health care was my calling.”Practicing in a rural setting is a blessing, she added. “Although nurse practitioners work in every role and in every specialty, they really teach us (that) the philosophy of being a nurse practitioner is to go out and take care of people who don’t have health care,” Crawford said.”People are very appreciative that we’re here and are very good to us. They know if we’re not here, they have to drive 30 minutes into town for everything.”Crawford said she tries to strike a balance between her duties at work and making time for herself and her family.”I like to take off in the afternoon so I can get in some exercise,” she said. “That’s part of my plan to work forever; keep a nice balance.”She and her husband, who works as an emergency room doctor, have a “bit of the travel bug,” Crawford said. “We go to the Caribbean sea once or twice a year.” She said they like to spend time off the beaten path, away from the tourist traps. “There is about 10 miles of pristine beach,” she said. “It’s very relaxing.”At home in Colorado, they enjoy hiking and other mountain sports, she said. They like to ski, but not this year – the Crawfords are expecting their second daughter in March.
