On Nov. 4, Southwest Health Systems in Cortez announced its addition of a new OB/GYN to its hospital staff.
Her name is Dr. Kari Barnard.
The press release announcing her hire said that something “she enjoys most about Family Medicine is the opportunity to treat entire families, from pregnancy and newborn care to adulthood.”
Joe Theine, the chief executive officer at Southwest Health System, said, “Her qualifications and commitment to women’s health will enhance the care we provide to our patients.”
With Barnard on staff, the Southwest Memorial Hospital now has three doctors focused on women’s health.
The other two are Dr. Megan Viquez, who was started seeing patients Oct. 30, and Dr. Jessica Kaplan.
Barnard is originally from Northern California, She got her undergrad at San Francisco State University.
From there, she went to Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico to earn her medical degree, and then went home to Redding, California, to complete her family medicine residency at Shasta Community Health Center, the release said.
“During her residency, Dr. Barnard developed a significant interest in women’s health and obstetrics,” which motivated her to pursue a fellowship in surgical/advanced obstetrics at the University of Utah, the release said.
She’s excited to “plant roots in Montezuma County with her husband, their son, four children and future pack goats,” the release said.
