By Dawn Hatfield

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — Wayne HealthCare welcomes the return of a familiar face to local practice. Ms. Alaine C. Kirby, APRN, CNP, MSN, a certified family nurse practitioner for the past five years, has joined the staff at Western Ohio OB/GYN as a new provider. Kirby specializes in gynecological care, annual exams, birth control options, and women’s health.

According to HealthGrades.com, “Alaine Kirby, APRN, CNP, MSN, completed her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner at University of Cincinnati and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Ohio University. Kirby is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and emergency room nurse. She is also certified in advanced cardiovascular life support, basic life support, and pediatric advanced life support.”

Settling into her new position, Kirby was asked how the transition is going. “Wonderful! I love being able to provide care here at home. I live in Darke County. I’d been at Premier the past five years doing women’s health, and [Wayne HealthCare/Western Ohio OB/GYN] reached out to me about an opportunity here. Of course, I jumped on it! To be able to provide care in my own community and to let patients know they can get good care right here at home is super important to me. I love being here in the community and getting to know community members, seeing patients out and about,” said Kirby.

Kirby worked at WHC while earning her nurse practitioner degree and continued to work there PRN [as needed] as a house supervisor while working as a nurse practitioner at Premier, so she never truly left WHC completely. Still, she was very excited for the chance to return to work in Greenville full time, stating, “Dr. Lachiewicz, DO, retired, and there was a void here in the community for women’s health, so Dr. Bembry, MD, and I were both able to join.”

“I do mostly GYN, and my favorite part of the job is getting to know my patients on a personal level. I like learning about where they work, where they live, what their kids do, and I usually always talk about my family. You always find a connection with patients, and I love that,” said Kirby.

It is obvious when first meeting Kirby she is easy to talk to. Her pleasant demeanor, sincerity, and focus on patients’ comfort make her incredibly well-matched for the field. “I’ve had quite a few patients follow me from Upper Valley, which, I love that. They tell me, ‘I’m just gonna follow you because it’s hard to find somebody to start over with or to trust,’ so I’ve had quite a few patients follow me from Premier,” she said.

Kirby continued with a recent patient story. “I had a lady last week who was re-establishing because she hadn’t been seen for a long time, and there was a card on my desk from her today thanking me for making her visit so personal and so comfortable. She had been so nervous about finding a new provider who would listen to her. She said, ‘You listened to me, and I was so comfortable.’ For her to take time out of her day to drop that card off was really meaningful,” Kirby recalled.

Kirby has lived in Darke County for the past nine years. She and her husband, a Darke County native, are raising their family in the Tri-Village school district. Their oldest two children will both be at Ohio State next fall after having gone through the College Credit Plus program and earning associates degrees at Edison State as high school students. Their daughter is planning to take Edison courses during high school as well and is actively involved in volleyball, which Kirby, a former college volleyball player, helps to coach.

The family likes to travel and tackle projects, such as their newest venture, Kopper Top Barn. “My husband and I opened Kopper Top Barn, just outside of town. We have a great big bank barn on Byrket Road that we opened as a wedding venue. We have about eight weddings already for this year and a couple booked for next year. We do that and have a lot of projects planned for this year,” explained Kirby.

Her closing words, though, came back to focus on patients and healthcare, stating, “Prioritize your health. Take the time out of your busy lives to make routine screenings a priority.”

When asked what the future holds for Kirby, she replied, “I plan to be here as long as they’ll keep me! As I said, providing care in my own community is super important to me.”

Kirby is currently accepting new and pre-existing patients at Western Ohio OB/GYN.

Reach Daily Advocate Reporter Dawn Hatfield at [email protected] or 937-569-0066.