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<\/p>\nEngineer-turned-doctor seeks to improve access, efficiency and affordability for rural residents<\/p>\n
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Dr. David Brown is seen March 26 at his newly opened clinic at Trimble Crossing in Hermosa. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/p>\n
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HERMOSA \u2013 The practice of a doctor traveling to a patient\u2019s home to deliver care \u2013 as opposed to the patient traveling to a medical campus or visiting a doctor in an office \u2013 is largely bygone.<\/p>\n
According to a 2004 study in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/a>, house calls accounted for 40% of doctor-patient visits in the 1930s, but dwindled to less than 1% by the 1980s.<\/p>\n In rural northern La Plata and San Juan counties, Dr. David Brown, alongside his wife, Yvonne Naughton, is bringing that old-school practice back \u2013 and proving how beneficial that style of care is to residents who may not have had easy access to health care otherwise.<\/p>\n In January 2025, they opened San Juan Clinic in Silverton, and a year later, a second location in Hermosa.<\/p>\n \u201cAccess is huge,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re rural, it\u2019s really important that you\u2019re not just confined to the brick and mortar.\u201d<\/p>\n The clinic provides a range of essential care to rural residents \u2013 including telehealth services, primary care, pediatrics, labs, referrals, wound care and an on-site pharmacy. Additionally, Brown offers sports medicine, internal medicine and weight-loss treatments.<\/p>\n \u201cHere I do everything. (Yvonne) does everything. And then we have part-time medical assistants,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n At-home care helping Silverton residents access health care<\/p>\n The reason home visit doctors have become an increasingly rare breed is largely because of advances in medical technology and doctors becoming more specialized in their fields \u2013 think cardiologist or optometrist \u2013 as opposed to being a jack-of-all-trades physician, according to \u201cWhy Did Doctors Stop Making House Calls?\u201d a March 17 article in History Facts<\/a>.<\/p>\n That shift, which took place throughout the 20th century, concentrated health care to large medical campuses, the study said.<\/p>\n And, according to \u201cBridging the gap: Addressing health inequities in rural communities,\u201d a 2024 National Rural Health Association article, that is problematic. Rural areas are often poorer, more geographically isolated and have less access to the same resources urban areas do, the article said.<\/p>\n Dr. David Brown on Thursday sits in his newly opened clinic at Trimble Crossing in Hermosa. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/p>\n \u201cRural communities contend with a significant scarcity of health care providers, with 68 physicians per 100,000 people compared to 80 in urban areas,\u201d the article said. \u201cThis shortage underscores the struggle to access vital medical services, particularly specialty care.\u201d<\/p>\n Silverton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Deanne Gallegos \u2013 who is also one of Brown\u2019s patients \u2013 said there has not been a hospital in Silverton since Miners\u2019 Hospital closed in 1959.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you needed an actual doctor\u2019s office, you needed to either go to La Plata or Montrose counties,\u201d Gallegos said. \u201cFor us to have a pediatrician and an internal medicine doctor who has an on-site pharmacy is a game-changer for our community to have direct access to health care without having to travel 56 miles over two mountain passes.\u201d<\/p>\n She said access to steady health care has been a main concern among residents when discussing how they want Silverton to grow, mainly because it would allow residents to live there longer. Brown is helping address that need.<\/p>\n \u201c(Having health care) just creates an environment of growth of stability that makes it more attractive to young families or seniors moving into the area,\u201d Gallegos said. \u201cWe have a very high senior population, and not having medical service available within our county was always an impediment to people being able to age in place here.\u201d<\/p>\n An engineer becomes a doctor<\/p>\n Brown said he designed his business model to streamline expenses for patients. That, he said, comes from his former career as an engineer, when he was paid to think through inefficiencies in systems.<\/p>\n He volunteered at a hospital, where he became inspired to go into health care. He then attended medical school at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just seemed like you were more in touch with what was going on,\u201d Brown said about health care work. \u201cBut I never got the engineering out of me.\u201d<\/p>\n After he transitioned into health care, Brown said he worked at a hospital in Oregon for several years and began to notice ways the system could be improved. His solution? His own clinic, which uses a care management model.<\/p>\n He said his model is a win-win-win for him, insurance agencies and, most importantly, his patients. Accessibility is where Brown\u2019s clinic shines: One can do walk-ins, schedule an appointment or do virtual visits, he said.<\/p>\n Additionally, Brown said he uses care management in his practice \u2013 a relatively new program meant to coordinate patient care that goes beyond more traditional in-office visits.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776001749_935_.jpeg\"\/)
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