NEW DOCTOR TAKES UP RESIDENCY IN MARBLE HILL

The new doctor in town practicing with Dr. John Englehart is Dr. Melody Armstrong of St. Francis, Kan. She was born in Weisbaden, Germany, while her father was in the U.S. Army.

Armstrong is part of the Cross Trails Medical Center, based out of Cape Girardeau, that purchased the Twin City Medical Clinic on Oct. 2. She was recruited by the management of Cross Trails through the National Health Corps that has designated Bollinger County as an under served area. Armstrong has a three year commitment with them.

She conducted her undergraduate studies at University of Missouri-Columbia and later went to Tulane Medical School in New Orleans. She did her residency at Baptist Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., in family practice. She practiced for one year in western Kansas. Armstrong is an M.D. and has a Masters in Public Health degree which she received at the same time during her medical training at Tulane.

"I'm glad to be here. I was in western Kansas for a year and the trees and hills are nice to come back to," commented Armstrong. "It's a nice community and I'm looking forward to working with the people here."

Friday, Dec. 1 was Armstrong's first day here as a family practitioner. Office hours will expand to include Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week.

Armstrong is engaged to Steven Shire with no definite date set, as of yet, and resides in the county.