Dr. Duncan Hamilton has traveled throughout much of the country en route to becoming a general surgeon, but he may have found a permanent home in the Tree City.
Dr. Hamilton, 36, began treating patients locally late last fall and currently splits time between Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) in Greensburg and Margaret Mary Community Hospital in Batesville.
But the vast majority of Hamilton’s duties are carried out at DCMH’s Primary Care Center, and through those patient interactions – as well as by establishing a positive working relationship with fellow local surgeons – the New York native has begun to feel at home in Greensburg.
“People [in Greensburg] have been friendly and welcoming to me,” the surgeon said. “There’s a sense of community, especially in a smaller town.”
Dr. Hamilton grew up in Syracuse, New York then went on to college in Virginia. Eventually, he traveled to Kirksville, Missouri to attend medical school and spent time in St. Louis while studying in the Show-Me State. His residency was completed in Des Moines, Iowa.
Hamilton moved to Greensburg late last summer and described it as “a good fit, both community-wise and hospital-wise.”
Hamilton spoke highly of his experiences in Greensburg thus far and expressed his appreciation for the warm reception he’s received from the people of the Tree City.
“The people here have been very friendly, very welcoming and very hospitable,” Dr. Hamilton said. “They want to find out a little bit about you; they’ve been very nice about helping. It’s been great so far.”
DCMH’s newest general surgeon began seeing patients in November, and since then has grown his patient base at a steady rate. Hamilton spends time evaluating patients or in surgery Monday through Thursday in Greensburg and at Margaret Mary in Batesville each Friday.
No matter the location, Dr. Hamilton said he is focused on providing the best patient care possible.
He’s also established a strong partnership with fellow surgeons.
“I feel we work well together,” Hamilton said of his colleagues. “They [fellow surgeons] have been really good at helping me get up and running, get acclimated to the community.”
He added other members of the DCMH surgical team have given him pointers on how to work with other healthcare providers when necessary and called their assistance and input “great.” Hamilton said a consistent focus for him and other DCMH staff is to provide the best onsite care available, and to transfer patients to other facilities that may be better equipped to handle certain medical situations when such a need arises.
The end goal is that patients of Dr. Duncan Hamilton – and others in his field – leave the hospital having received the best care relevant to his or her needs.
Hamilton said his role as a general surgeon sees him perform procedures such as colonoscopies and surgeries relating to ailments of the gall bladder, breast, thyroid and many other areas. In general, a patient’s primary care physician will refer that patient to a general surgeon such as Hamilton, but the new DCMH doctor said he also interacts with patients in emergency situations.
Dr. Hamilton counts time spent caring for his patients as among the greatest rewards in his line of work and said helping people return to a better state of health is the best takeaway from his career.
“When I can help someone recover, get them feeling better or back to normal – back to their daily form of life — that’s rewarding for me,” Hamilton said.
Decatur County Memorial Hospital’s Primary Care Center is located at 718 North Lincoln Street, behind the main hospital’s campus, and can be reached at 812-662-0588.
By Brent Brown Daily News