Family Medicine
The provider you will likely see most often over the course of your life is your family medicine provider, also called your primary care provider. Family medicine plays a crucial role in helping you get well if you’re sick or injured – as well as to monitor your health over time and identify the earliest signs when something is wrong. Primary care providers treat most common illnesses and injuries that people incur on a routine basis.
At Mount Ayr Medical Clinic, our family medicine providers treat patients of all ages from Ringgold County and the surrounding communities. Established patients can even meet with their family medicine provide via real-time, online video visits, from the safety and comfort of their own home.
Conditions We Treat
Medical conditions and injuries treated by the family medicine providers at Mount Ayr Medical Clinic include:
- Aches and pains
- Acid reflux and GERD
- Allergies
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Back pain, neck pain
- Bronchitis
- Broken bones
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
- Colds, flu
- Constipation
- Cough
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Diarrhea
- Earaches
- Erectile dysfunction
- Eye infections (including pink eye)
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Insomnia
- Kidney disease
- Nausea, vomiting
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Prenatal Care
- Pneumonia
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- Shingles
- Sinus infection
- Skin rashes
- Sore throat
- Sprains and strains
- Stomachache
- Thyroid disorders
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Vertigo, dizziness
- Weight management issues
- Women’s health
- Wounds, minor
We treat acute and chronic conditions, and we help monitor any existing conditions you have to help relieve symptoms, prevent future complications, and make medication adjustments as needed. Should you need to see a medical specialist, your family medicine provider at Mount Ayr Medical Clinic can make an appropriate referral.
Preventive Health
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of relief. This oldie but goodie remains true today. It is often much easier – and much less costly – to prevent injury and disease than it is to treat it.
Your family provider is the medical professional best positioned to know what conditions you may be prone to develop, based on your family or personal health history, as well as any risk factors you may have. Your family provider is also usually the first person to notice a change in your health – either as a result of an annual exam that includes bloodwork or because you visit the doctor when you are sick or injured and require treatment.
Ask your family provider what preventive care screenings or tests might be appropriate for you.
In general, a physical exam includes an overall physical assessment, while paying special attention to any concerns or issues you may have. Your family doctor will also thoroughly review your medical history, discuss any symptoms you may be experiencing, and take the time to answer your questions.
Certain types of physicals will cater to specific needs. For example, a women’s health physical – sometimes called a “well-woman exam” – may include a pelvic exam and Pap smear. A man’s health physical may include a test for an enlarged prostate. A sport or athletic physical is designed to ensure you are physically capable to participate in a particular activity, as well as how to optimize your performance and avoid injury during play.
Types of physicals your family doctor can provide include:
- Camp physical
- DOT physical for a commercial driver’s license
- Employment physical, including fitness-for-duty
- Men’s health
- Pediatric (or well-child) exam
- Return-to-work physical after an injury
- Special Olympics physical
- School physical
- Sports or athletic physical
- Women’s health
There are many different preventive care screenings available. Which tests or screenings are right for you will depend on your age, health, and whether you have risk factors for certain diseases, especially colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, HPV infection, and more. Many of these tests and screenings can be conducted on-site at Mount Ayr Medical Clinic. When a specialist is needed, your family doctor can make the appropriate referral.
The importance of vaccines cannot be overstated. There are a great many vaccines available to protect against illness and disease. In some cases, vaccines can help you avoid serious complications should you develop an infection.
Common vaccines provided by the family medicine providers at Mount Ayr Medical Clinic include flu shots and vaccines to help prevent chickenpox, COVID-19, shingles, pneumonia, and more.
Find out more about the CDC’s immunization schedule (which vaccines are recommended and at what ages).
Visit the Mount Ayr Medical Clinic page on this website for more information about the type of medical care you can expect to receive from our family medicine providers. For example, our patients have access to regular visits with an RCH health coach who is dedicated to providing needed health information, support, and guidance – at no cost to you.
Family Medicine Patient Resources
The Mount Ayr Medical Clinic family medicine providers have gathered medical resources by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on health topics of importance to our patients. These include:
- Older adult fall prevention
- Hand-washing: clean hands save lives
- Vaccines & immunizations
- Cancer: CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
Family Provider in Mount Ayr, IA
If you’re in need of a primary care physician or family provider, call Mount Ayr Medical Clinic at (641) 464-4470 or simply request an appointment now. Our providers are trained and experienced in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of a vast range of health conditions. These family medicine physicians and other providers are available to treat patients of all ages.
The Mount Ayr Medical Clinic is conveniently located inside Ringgold County Hospital in Mount Ayr, Iowa.
