Dr. Scott Slattery Perhaps you know Dr. Slattery. As a small town doctor, you’ve likely run into him at the grocery store, seen him at local high school, sporting events, or maybe even ran into him at school-related activities. Dr. Slattery and his family have lived in Lewis County since 1999 and while he may seem like your average guy when you see him around the community, he’s more than average when it comes to his professional career and achievements. He began by attending Loma Linda School of Medicine in California. After completing his medical education in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine through Loma Linda, he moved on to work as a surgeon at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. Yet, he did more than work as a surgeon while at the base, he also served as Chief of the Department of Orthopaedics and Podiatry at 1st Medical Group Hospital. His time here provided for him opportunities to treat rare and complicated injuries. He has lived in Lewis County, with his family, since 1999 He quickly used his expertise to assist the local high schools and Centralia Community College during sporting events and volunteered to be an on-site doctor for [...]

General Reviews - Everyone has been great. Every phone call email and visit has made me feel valued as a client. I'm not sure if I can explain it clearly. Each person I have encountered has shown this and has made sure all of my needs were met. Just simply amazing! Customer service must be a priority and a value! - All staff were professional and friendly to both me and my family. - I have received the best care - I'm quite pleased with the progress! - Great staff! - The MA Kelsey Moorecraft did a wonderful job today first time I have had her at an appointment here. Keith R Birchard M.D. Reviews - I was happy with the whole procedure and with the results - Truly a professional! Throughout my care dating back to June Dr. Birchard discussed all options clearly and included me in decisions. I have never felt so involved in my care. He has set the bar very high for all others. - Thank you did excellent - Got us in quickly Michael D Dujela D.P.M. Reviews - Dr. Dujela has performed both of my ankle fusions and I have been very happy with his care [...]

For athletes and “wanna-be” athletes alike, an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is one of the most feared injuries one can sustain. More common in females than males, and commonly seen in sports requiring quick changes of direction, the ACL is typically torn as an athlete plants their foot on the ground with an extended leg and rotates internally. Accidents involving falling from some height with an extended knee can also results in an ACL tear. The initial injury may be accompanied by a “snap” or “pop,” but often doesn’t keep an athlete from walking off the field under their own weight. In fact, some people may go an extended period of time, months to years, with lingering knee pain only to find out they actually tore their ACL long ago. Unlike other areas of the body that have self-repairing tissue, an ACL tear will not repair itself. Thus, the only corrective treatment for a torn ACL is found through surgery. While the only real fix for an ACL tear lies within surgery, chances are you will get three different answers from three different orthopedic surgeons if you ask each of them how they repair an ACL. From the angles that surgeons [...]

A guide to fixing the base of your big toe: 1st MTP arthrodesis Life can be a pain in the foot, and trust me, you’ll quickly realize how much a painful foot can control your life once it really starts hurting. For some, myself included, it’s flat feet that lead to a host of complications, while for others the pain started when a weight was dropped on their foot. A common issue is found at the base of your big toe, officially called the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint. Whether the pain at the 1st MTP joint is caused by a foot deformity, chronically wearing bad footwear, or from an acute injury, the pain can be significantly detrimental to one’s quality of life due to the natural push off from the big toe during activities like walking and running What causes the pain? No matter the origin of the pain, acute or gradual, the eventual chronic pain is caused by the wearing down of cartilage between the two bones that form the MTP joint. The lack of cartilage leads to inflammation in the joint, osteophytes (small bones fragments) that grind inside the joint, and the development of arthritis in and around the joint, which [...]

General Comments - The team is solid from front office to X-ray to surgery center and everything in between. - The receptionist Stacy is so very kind and explained about the scheduling that Dr. said. She is so compassionate to the patients. - You are the answer to my prayers for help with my arthritic legs and the stiff walking. You give me hope! - This facility and their staff are awesome. - I enjoyed my 2 visits everyone was amazing! Clean comfortable building. Great to know where to go if I need you again Christy thank you! - The Staff at the clinic are very professional courteous and expeditious in their services. I would definitely highly recommend their practice to anyone seeking any Orthopedic services. - I'm so happy you now have an office in Olympia. - Glad to have such a high quality facility in our area. - I really like having the Tumwater location as an option Keith R Birchard M.D. Comments - Dr Birchard is very personable man. I very happy he is my Dr - Easy to talk to very understanding listen to my priblem and explained to me what the problem was in laymens terms. - [...]

My name is Josie Dekoker, and I’m new here! WOC’s newest ASC RN to be exact I graduated from Centralia College in June and obtained my nursing license in July. This is my first nursing job, and I couldn’t be happier to call WOC home. The staff (AKA: Family) here have been so welcoming and helpful in my transition into practice. That coupled with my desire to learn, and the diversity of daily duties makes this job opportunity perfect for me! Besides taking care of patients, I love being able to learn new things every single day. Each day I have a brand new experience. Whether it be a new question from a patient, to a new surgery or a new opportunity, all of these new things help foster the RN that I am becoming. You’re probably wondering where I am going with all of this. I am writing, WOC’s ASC blog to be exact. Do I like to write? Nope. Not even a little bit. However, that’s not what this is about. This blog is a learning experience, and as I previously mentioned, I love to learn! As a fresh RN, straight out of school, you can imagine that I have [...]