After 38 years of service in the community, Doctor Carolyn Brown is closing her family practice.
The news comes in a press release from Quinte Health stating that her retirement was accelerated due to injuries sustained in an accident earlier this year, noting the ‘passion and proficiency’ she has brought throughout her career in North Hastings.
Dr. Brown is a graduate of Queen’s University and set up her family practice, along with her husband Dr. Greg Cooper in 1986. Over the years, in addition to her family practice, Dr. Brown has worked in North Hastings Hospital’s Emergency Department and as a hospitalist on the inpatient unit.
For most of her upbringing, Brown lived on a hobby farm in Bolton, Ontario. According to Brown, rural medicine was always her focus.
“In larger centres, as a primary care physician, some of the most interesting patients with the most interesting conditions are referred to specialists and you never see them again – they are swept up into the system,” she explained. “In this area, as appropriate we can opt to consult with specialists to help determine the best medical care options. This way, you get to know the person and provide excellent continuity of care.”
Dr. Brown’s contributions to the community go far beyond her medical service.
Over her close to four decades as a local doctor, she has been a powerful advocate and overseer for life-changing community initiatives, sharing her time, expertise and resources.
Dr. Brown founded a not-for-profit gym in Bancroft to support exercise and rehabilitation. She, along with other family doctors, came together to purchase a “locum house”, to support medical staffing and recruitment. The house was eventually gifted to Quinte Health.
Patient Care Manager Tammy Davis describes Dr. Brown as a fierce advocate and strong voice for rural medicine.
“She has been instrumental in ensuring that the needs of residents in this area are considered in healthcare decision-making, particularly when it comes to health equity and access to care close to home,” Davis said. “She has served as a leader, mentor, and educator in both informal and formal roles at North Hastings Hospital and with the Family Health Team.”
“Her motivation has always been what’s best for this community and the patients we collectively serve,” Davis adds.
At September’s meeting of the Quinte Health Board of Directors, Dr. Colin Macpherson, Chief of Staff, highlighted some of Dr. Brown’s many accomplishments, noting that family physicians in rural areas address a broad range of medical issues, from acute illnesses and chronic diseases to preventive care and mental health.
“Carolyn has not only provided stellar care to her patients, but has also been a champion of collaborative, interprofessional models of care that are so essential to rural health care,” he stated. “Carolyn epitomizes the best of rural primary care medicine, and I am grateful to her for being a trusted medical colleague and for her many contributions to North Hastings Hospital.”
Dr. Macpherson is recommending Dr. Brown be granted honourary medical privileges at Quinte Health as a gesture of respect and appreciation for her decades of service.
