My name is Nancy Knight and I’m a family physician in the U.S. Public Health Service and I’m a Lieutenant Commander. A lot of people who have been in the service think that I’m a Navy officer and will ask me about being in the Navy and why I’m here in Cincinnati in the Navy so I have to explain to them that I’m in the Public Health Service. So it’s an opportunity to educate people about the Public Health Service and who we are and what we do.

Actually, Dr. Knight, we have the report here.

I’m in a program that is administered through the Bureau of Health Professions as part of the National Health Service Corps. The program is called the Ready Responder Program and we serve in underserved communities throughout the United States. I’m stationed at Millville Health Center which is one of the clinics that is run by the Cincinnati Health Department.

Dr. Knight has been a godsend at Millvale Health Center. If they were unable to get the physician position staffed, they probably would have closed Millvale which would have left a large population unserved in Cincinnati.

Mr. Martin?

Yes.

Hi.

How are you doing?

I’m fine. Yourself?

Being a family practitioner in a small health center, she’s there and able to service all age groups. Excellent bedside manner with the patients, able to communicate with them very, very well, and held in very high regard by the patients in the health center.

…several months now, that’s twice a day.

On different days I might get my greatest satisfaction from different things. On a day when I might have a patient that is severely ill and we get them stabilized in the office, and I know that what we did in the office saved their life that day, that gives me tremendous satisfaction.

Alright! Good to see you today.

The pleasure’s all mine.

You take care.

You too, doctor.

Okay.

You take care of yourself so you can take care of me.

All right! I will.

But then on other days, when I might be involved in a training exercise that’s being simulated across this area, that gives me great satisfaction as well.

…at the same time that you’re dealing with the public health disaster at hand.

The notion of protecting people, in particular protecting their health, is a major element of our mission. And protection requires frequently that we move into environments that are challenging and austere.

As a doctor in private practice, I wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to serve the nation during disasters, during some of the greatest times of need for other people through the United States. Most people who are in private practice are not going to be deployed to assist during disasters.

… worked out very well, having both [inaudible] and [inaudible] at yesterday’s meeting. So we’ll need to work with our…

We’re deployed as officers in the U.S. Public Health Service to protect, promote, and advance the health of the nation. We have to have officers that understand that as a corps we must act in a coherent and disciplined and organized manner that is built around this notion of team and the bond to each other and a bond to the mission.

From what I know about my wife and the other people I’ve met in the Public Health Service, they seem to be extremely selfless in their service because what they’re looking to do is help the disadvantaged, create a better world, basically, through their service with the government.

There are several bonus pays that are available to physicians which really make the total income that you have very comparable to working in private practice. Another benefit of being a commissioned officer are the healthcare benefits. We have excellent healthcare benefits. I’m able to get any type of evaluations done that are needed. If I have to have any medications, they’re covered through my health insurance. I’m not responsible for paying malpractice insurance nor is the clinic where I practice.

Okay, great. That sounds much better. I’ll let her know.

I have time to spend with my husband. I have time to spend with my dog.

As far as our daily lives are concerned, it’s pretty easy for us to plan a month ahead of time what we’re going to do, if we’re going to take a weekend or if we’re going to take a vacation.

My husband and I enjoy running a lot so we have time to spend training for different local races and training for larger races like marathons.

The Commissioned Corps is the front line of the health of the nation. Even though it’s something that most people don’t know about, the Commissioned Corps is vital. If it were to go away they would recognize the difference. As a member of the Commissioned Corps, I feel that I am a weapon against the inequalities that people may face in their medical care.