Brookings has a new option in healthcare. The Prairie View Medical Clinic is an independent, physician-owned primary care clinic located at 3405 Sixth St., Suite 5, in Brookings. They held their ribbon-cutting ceremonies May 30 and have been seeing patients ever since.

Dr. Jennifer Olson and registered nurse Melissa Wright are co-owners and founded the clinic with the intention of being better listeners.

“We want patients to know that we work for them. You know, we’re not working for an employer. We’re working for our patients,” Olson said. “One thing that Melissa and I realized in the health care setting is — you look across the landscape of health care, and you have independent dentists, and independent optometrists, and independent physical therapists and chiropractors. I mean, open up the phone book — they’re all independent. But patients don’t have that choice when it comes to medical care.”

Wright felt the same way, and the two of them collaborated to open the clinic. 

“I think it’s just trying to bring back more of the trust relationship base that seems to have kind of gone to the wayside a little bit,” Wright said. “I understand that certainly not every provider can sit and listen for 30 minutes to their patients. But it doesn’t necessarily take a large amount of time. It just takes a connection, I guess. And that’s what seems to be lost. So we just really want to bring that back.”

Prairie View Medical Clinic provides full-spectrum, outpatient family medicine services. 

“I love to do office procedures,” Olson said. “A lot of dermatologic skin surgeries, gynecologic procedures, orthopedic injections and those sorts of things.”

She said they’ve been seeing a lot of young people this summer for high school sports physicals as well. In everything they do, Prairie View Medical Clinic seeks to put patients first, with a mission statement centered on promoting, “patient autonomy through informed decisions.”

“We need the big systems, right? I can’t take out gall bladders. But I can sit and listen to someone. And we want patients to feel loved, we want them to feel respected, we want them to feel a part of their care,” Olson said. “And what I try to tell my patients is — you’re paying a bill. I work for you, right? I don’t expect you to be an expert in medicine; that’s my job to explain what your options are to you. But it’s your choice. You even have the choice to do something that I don’t agree with — as long as you’re making an informed decision.”

Wright said it’s an approach that has reminded her of why she went into nursing in the first place.

“Caring for patients the way that we do it here brings me back to why I do nursing — because we love the patients,” Wright said. “If we need more time in the room with the patient, that’s what we’re going to do, because that’s what that patient needs. And every patient who walks in these doors, I think knows that they’re going to get that same attention and care when it’s their turn.”

Olson said it’s an approach that’s resonated with patients already.

“We see men, women, young, old. We love kids,” Olson said. “Newborns to, you know, I’m making nursing home visits within the week here — so literally full-spectrum family medicine.”

Wright said building relationships is a key component to providing better care for patients.

“I don’t want it to be a transaction. I don’t want it to be checking the boxes that, you know, whoever up above me told me that I had to check. I want to connect with them,” Wright said. “We want people to feel connected to us. I mean that’s more relationship-based than transactional.”

Despite being independent, Olson said they work with bigger healthcare providers and can easily provide specialist referrals.

“I’m very happy to work with other specialists and certainly know where my limits are. I mean — I know what I’m not an expert in. So you know, I think some people feel shy about seeing a primary care doctor because they’re worried they’re not going to be referred. I’m very happy to refer,” Olson said. “We don’t want to just be a referral system. We want to do what we can here, and we want to have a shot at, you know, providing the care.”

Olson said they are credentialed with the major insurance companies, and they try to schedule appointments as quickly as possible.

“I want to see you. I want to be your doctor. If I’ve agreed to be your doctor, I want to see you when you’re well, and I want to see you when you have an acute need,” Olson said. “And again, I think it’s relationships — not transactional. You know, I think in big systems it’s easy to feel like you’re just a number. And we don’t have to be a big system, because we don’t have to do all the things big systems do. So there’s a place for everyone — and we hope that our niche is great care.”

— Email Jay Roe at jroe@brookingsregister.com.