Testimonials

Meet Carl and Connie Cook. “I have been a healthcare professional for over 20 years. I have worked all over the country at the finest hospitals in America. Dr. Laura Davenport-Reed, her husband Johnny Reed, a physician assistant, and Dr. John Flores are three of the most knowledgeable physicians I have ever known.

“Fifteen years ago, I was diagnosed with a terminal disease. Dr. Davenport reached out as far as Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to the Scleroderma Foundation. Dr. Davenport’s interaction with the senior medical staff there is responsible for putting this horrible disease back into remission.

To sum up an otherwise lengthy story, I am alive today to write this because of God and the expertise of Dr. Davenport-Reed and the staff at Silver Health CARE. I entrust the care of my disabled wife, my healthy children, and myself, to Dr. Davenport-Reed. Her tenderness with those nearest to me cannot be committed to paper. The ink won’t hold the emotion.

If you have loved ones with special needs, I cannot recommend strongly enough for you to entrust them to Dr. Davenport-Reed and the Silver Health CARE team.” – Carl W. Cook, Registered Respiratory Therapist

Ralph and Elizabeth Bakshi have been patients of Dr. James Skee for ten years, and they both agree that over the years, his diagnoses have always been “right on the money.”

Ralph has gone to high-profile doctors in LA and NY, and he considers Dr. Skee to be every bit as good, if not better. “He is a brilliant diagnostician – he really thinks about things and figures out what is wrong with you: he nails it!” Ralph enjoys talking politics with Dr. Skee while having his blood pressure taken, an example of Dr. Skee’s willingness to connect with him as an individual during an office visit, not just as a patient.

When he first came to see Dr. Skee, Ralph was having trouble breathing, compounded with severe allergies. He was deeply impressed when Dr. Skee straightforwardly diagnosed his problems and restored him to good health.

On another occasion, Elizabeth came in with a cough that had been misdiagnosed as bronchitis. Feeling worse and worse, Liz managed to find an open spot in Dr. Skee’s schedule and came right down to see him. After hearing her cough once in the exam room, Dr. Skee said, “you have a very old disease – whooping cough.” Liz wondered how she could possibly have contracted it, but that’s exactly what it was, and she bounced back.

More recently, Elizabeth came in with a horrible pain in her arm. Dr. Skee pressed on various spots, and then located the source of the pain. “You have bursitis,” he declared within seconds of touching the sore spot. “It will take a few days,” said Dr. Skee, and with the right medication, the awful pain was gone. Elizabeth sums it up best: “When you need a doctor, you need him to be right!” and the Bakshis are grateful that Dr. Skee, by “nailing it,” has provided them with such excellent care over the years.

When Leo and Pam Davidson speak of their family physician at Silver Health CARE, Dr. James Skee, they declare that we are fortunate “to have a doctor like him in our community.” Pam says that “he is truly concerned and caring,” while Leo adds, “you can rely on him” and “trust him to do his very best.” Having practiced in New Mexico since 1981, Dr. Skee has treated several generations of both their families and the Davidsons have had many opportunities to see Dr. Skee go “above and beyond” what you would expect from a physician.

Over the years, Dr. Skee, a board-certified internist, has always been there when they needed him. Dr. Skee treated Leo when he suffered a heart attack, ordering all the necessary tests and providing “excellent care.” Pam recalls when she was visiting in Alaska and Dr. Skee called in a prescription for her. Pam drove her own parents back and forth from Hillsboro, at times on a daily basis, so that Dr. Skee could treat them.

Leo and Pam also singled out the Silver Health CARE staff as unfailingly attentive and helpful over the years. Leo’s mother, Evelyn Mae Davidson, was Dr. Skee’s patient for more than 20 years.  She had worked cheerfully at the Dairy Queen owned by Leo, where she was affectionately known as “Aunt Bea” to the employees.

Very recently, at 91 years old, Evelyn suffered a fall last year and seemed to be disoriented by it. Leo and Pam are thankful that Dr. Skee “was right there for her” both in the hospital and when she returned home. The Davidsons saw that over Thanksgiving “she didn’t seem quite right.” Alarmed, Pam called Dr. Skee at home, and the Davidsons marvel at how he came over to their house that weekend, assessed Evelyn’s medical condition, and “helped us make huge decisions that we didn’t know how to make.”

Sadly, Evelyn passed away a few days later, but the Davidsons are immensely grateful to Dr. Skee for his help in getting them through this very difficult time.

In July of last year, Zelda Ballesteros was looking for a new doctor to care for her children. Daniella, Ariana, and Armando were sick on and off for years, coughing and sneezing and having a hard time breathing when they were physically active, especially Armando. At that point, Dr. Brian Etheridge, a pediatrician at Silver Health CARE, was recommended to Zelda, and from the children’s very first wellness visit with him, she knew they had found a physician who made the right diagnosis of the children’s problems, treated them effectively, and made the children laugh and relax by playing games with them during their visits.

Zelda was impressed by how he made the kids feel comfortable and asked them questions about school and their activities. Daniella and Ariana giggled at his jokes, and Dr. Etheridge’s playful use of flashlights was a big hit with all the children, especially Armando!

Dr. Etheridge, a board-certified pediatrician with Silver Health CARE since 2009, is recently trained and brings state-of-the-art clinical skills to his practice. Zelda thinks he is “awesome.” He diagnosed all three children with asthma, and with the prescribed treatment, the children’s symptoms have dramatically improved, leaving more time for fun and giving Zelda a chance to relax about their health.

At their wellness visit, when Dr. Etheridge invited Zelda to talk about any other issues that the children might be having, she brought up Armando’s problems at school. Dr. Etheridge, in what Zelda considers to be excellent follow-up care, arranged for Armando to see a counselor so that his issues might be addressed. Zelda feels that she “is able to work hand-in-hand with Dr. Etheridge” on behalf of her children.

When Zelda visits Silver Health CARE with her children, she feels she is in excellent hands “from the moment you come in, to the time you see the practitioner.” She enjoys being greeted by the friendly staff at the front desk and thinks the world of Dr. Etheridge’s nurse, Lori Wallin, RN, and his MA, Lena Delgado. Zelda sums it all up by saying, “Thank you, Dr. Etheridge, for providing ‘my babies’ with the high-quality care that all parents want for their children. Grant County is a better place for children with you practicing here.”