Erlanger welcomes doctors’ practice

    Peachtree – Friday was a banner day at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital.
    A Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony and community open house were held Friday afternoon to celebrate the new Erlanger Primary Care – Peachtree practice, which is located in the offices next to the hospital at 125 Medical Park Lane, Suite H, just off U.S. 64 East Alternate.
    The Primary Care – Peachtree providers – Dr. Brian Mitchell and physician assistant Samantha Thompson, along with office manager Medra Palmer – were on hand to visit with community members. Dr. Stephen Rubendall, who will join the practice in April, and his family were also at the event to introduce themselves.
    “We are excited to add Primary Care – Peachtree to our growing list of practices, and we welcome Dr. Mitchell, Dr. Rubendall and Samantha Thompson to the Erlanger family,” Erlanger Western Carolina CEO Mark Kimball said. “This practice is conveniently located in newly renovated space on our campus, alongside our specialist offices, and will serve as a medical home for many patients in our community.”
    Mitchell is a board-certified internal medicine physician who has been serving patients in western North Carolina for almost 45 years. He attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed an internal medicine residency at Boston City Hospital. He is a member of the Western North Carolina Medical Society and serves as a clinical assistant professor at UNC School of Medicine.
    Despite some apprehension at first, Mitchell is looking forward to the fresh start. “I’m happy to still be in good enough health to help make a difference in the community I love,” he said, adding that Erlanger is doing exactly what it said it would do in recruiting more doctors to the area.
    Thompson, PA-C, has worked alongside Mitchell for seven years. She received her master of health sciences and physician assistant certification from Duke University.
    Rubendall, a board-certified family medicine physician, will begin seeing patients in April. He attended Medical College of Georgia and completed a family medicine residency at Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood, S.C. Rubendall joins Erlanger Western Carolina after serving as a provider and chief of medical staff at Mitchell County Hospital in Camilla, Ga.
    “My family is excited about getting to see everything the community offers,” he said.
    The open house event was held in the hospital’s cafeteria with a standing-room-only crowd. For details about Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital, visit erlanger.org/westerncarolina.