On January 26, 1998, Salem Clinic at Inland Shores opened their green-framed sliding glass doors for business! The advertising in the Keizer Times that month read "Only a House Call Would Be Closer To Home". In addition to the primary care services, laboratory services and imaging services offered, the opening of the Inland Shores office prompted our entry into the urgent care market!
The Inland Shores Medical Building at 5900 Inland Shores Way was the only commercial structure built on the East side of Staats Lake at the time of opening. The lobby boasted lake views; and offices, views of Claggett Creek.
In the early days, there were just three physicians and a small number of staff on hand. Drs. Robin Chandler, Fritz Foulke and Jeff Wang were hired specifically for this fourth Clinic site. During her training, Dr. Chandler did an internal medicine clinical rotation at the Clinic, she found an undetected cancer during a chart review session; she saved a life and then we hired her! Dr. Chandler and Dr. Foulke practiced at Inland Shores for nineteen years before their retirements in 2017. Dr. Wang is still there, going strong!
Thoughts from Dr. Wang… "The building smelled so new back then." We would sleep here when we were on-call. I would sleep on the floor in my office; Fritz would sleep on his cot; and Robin would sleep on her couch." "Dr. Chandler was the reason I came to Salem Clinic. We had both done clinical rotations at the Clinic. She kept telling me about the Keizer clinic opportunity, and I told her that I was not interested in working for Kaiser. It took several conversations before the City of Keizer was mentioned and I realized that she was not trying to recruit me to Kaiser Permanente." "It was easy going here in the early days; we had a lot of time between patients." "Our camaraderie in the early days was really something."
Debbie O., now working in the Clinic’s comprehensive care coordination department, was asked to comment on her nineteen years at the Inland Shores office. Debbie was Dr. Foulke’s primary assistant for her entire SCIS career. She described the early days there as "new, quiet, clean, big… and wonderful!" She shared that a good day then consisted of seeing about eight patients, a far cry from the schedule of those practicing now. Debbie described many happenings were cool and unique to the Staats Lake area. From awesome patient injuries, like a fishing hook in the scalp, to dangers, like the geese “bombs†that would land on staff and visitors. Debbie enjoyed the summer mornings that would include hot air balloon landings in the parking lot and the variety of critters that would trek across the Clinic grounds (nutria, heron, opossums, hawks, etc.). Debbie added that she very fondly remembers the many potlucks held at SCIS and how the whole team got along so well!
Dr. Farnell arrived at the Inland Shores office in 2000. He shared memories of covering urgent care shifts on the weekends, as there was just one UC provider back then. Sometimes he would see just four patients in a day… urgent care volumes are just a bit different these days. A provider is almost guaranteed to have four patients waiting before their shift even begins. Dr. Garber, who began her Salem Clinic career in 2002, recalled taking lots of walks around the lake in the early days; always at lunch, if not more often due to schedule openings.
Though now retired, Dr. Foulke was happy to share memories from his many years at the Inland Shores office. He, too, recalled how very slow the early days were. He joked with Barbara (the administrator) about getting a basketball hoop for the site. She offered up hers, which he picked up and placed in the back parking lot. He and Dr. Norcom would play periodically. Dr. Foulke laughed about a physician who worked in one of the second floor offices and drove a very nice Mercedes. Dr. Foulke would intentionally park his junker Mercedes beside him each day and make comments in jest. Most fondly, Dr. Foulke spoke of the great camaraderie amongst the Inland Shores group! And… how very kind the people and patients of Keizer always were!
The Inland Shores team has welcomed many new members over the years and has had to say goodbye to some too. It is hoped that all can reflect fondly on their time spent at this unique place and on this great team! We are all here for our patients, and they say it best...
"I have been a patient of Dr. Wang for 16 years. I truly believe he has saved my life on several occasions. Dr. Wang listens, asks questions, informs you of options and is very easy to talk to.... Dr. Wang is always willing to go the extra mile to determine what ills you."
"My 1 year old recently had to visit Urgent Care. We chose Inland Shores and were very pleased. The office was tidy, the staff was courteous and the attending physician was fabulous. He was very patient with my son, who was quite unhappy. He answered all of my questions and has provided excellent follow up care. He phoned me at home the next day just to check in on my little guy and also the following day, just to make sure he was still doing well. Great experience! Thank you!"
"Once again, Dr. Wang and his nurse Loretta have served me exceptionally well. Add to that, Dr. Anne Nunes, Urgent Care physician at Inland Shores. Their personal attention, thoughtful care, and follow-up during a health need last week were so reassuring and inspiring. Thank you so much to all."
"My children have seen Dr. Garber for years. She is a down to earth, caring doctor with a good sense of humor. We are thankful to have her!"
"When my sons were deployed in Iraq, Dr. Foulke took extra time to make sure I was doing okay. He was concerned not just for my physical health but for my emotional health as well. This kind of extra concern and caring is what brought me to his office, after he took care of my dying father. I work in the medical field, and it’s refreshing to find medical professionals who still believe in the basic tenants of healthcare and not just statistics and the almighty dollar!"
Cheers to another twenty years serving our Keizer family!
