ABOVE: Samantha Farnum and Nathan Reyelts of Cornerstone Clinic on Downtown Plaza, fairmont. While the clinic opened in March there will be an open house on June 10.

FAIRMONT– In March a new clinic opened on Downtown Plaza in Fairmont. Cornerstone Clinic was started by a team of health care professionals who had worked together at Dulcimer Medical Center.

“We decided we wanted to open our own practice and continue to see our patients,” said Samantha Farnum, a nurse practitioner.

The private family practice also includes nurse practitioners Rebecca Boer and Lisa Ertman and physicians assistant, Nathan Reyelts.

Farnum said the process of opening their own clinic took about a year and that they had looked at a lot of properties in Fairmont.

“We wanted to have enough rooms to manage the number of patients we were used to seeing and we knew there would be three or four practicing with the hopes of expanding that,” Farnum said.

Reyelts said that when they found the spot at 410 Downtown Plaza they felt like it was a good investment. They took ownership at the beginning of this year.

“From January to March we spent a lot of time getting it ready,” Reyelts said.

The building was previously home to Baywood Home Health so it was set up for healthcare. However, sinks needed to be added to every room so a lot of plumbing work was done, as was some electrical.

Looking at it from the outside, the building is actually much bigger than one would think. Right now there are nine exam rooms, one procedure room, a staff room, some offices and a waiting area.

The decor throughout the clinic pays homage to what the facility previously was, which includes Tech Builders and at one point a bowling alley.

As for how the name was decided on, there’s no big story behind it but Farnum said that a cornerstone is the thing you build on– the strength of the foundation.

“We can be that foundation for good health,” she said.

In terms of services they offer, Reyelts said, “Family practice is everything and anything.”

They provide acute care, chronic care, well child checks, DOT physicals, mental health care, lab work, drug screening and IV therapy. They also offer telehealth appointments in some cases.

“We sell supplements which makes us a little different,” Reyelts said.

There are 14 staff, including four providers, five nurses, two receptionists and some other office staff, the majority of which worked together at Dulcimer.

“They’re friendly, familiar faces,” Reyelts said.

So far, everyone is pleased with how business has been going since opening in March.

“I really didn’t expect us to be as busy right out the door as we were. It’s been a good thing. We’ve seen lots of our patents following us and we’re very thankful for that,” Farnum said.

Reyelts added that they’re grateful for loyal patients sticking with them.

“We take insurance so I think that helped a lot– being able to see patients use their insurance,” Reyelts said.

When it comes down to it, the team wants to be able to provide the best care possible to their patients, both recurring patients and new patients.

“A private practice allows us a little more flexibility and time with our patients. People are looking for a provider who listens to them and uses the time to work through what’s going on,” Boer said.

She said they want people to feel ownership in their healthcare.

“We want to make sure that whatever care plans we come to are in partnership with our patients,” Boer said.

Cornerstone Clinic still has partnerships with other local health care centers, including UHD, Mayo and Center for Speciality Care.

“We need specialities but this offers patients a different approach to their healthcare,” Boer said of their practice.

Looking ahead to the future, Reyelts said they have a wish list and Farnum said they’d like to add another provider, possible Xray services and maybe expand hours (currently open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday). It’s all dependent on what the community needs.

Cornerstone Clinic will have an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. on June 10 .

“Sometimes you’re not sick and you don’t have to go to the doctor right away but if you’re curious about what we are, the open house is a good time for people to come and see what we’ve done and who we are. That way when they’re not feeling well they’ll be more comfortable in this environment,” Farnum said.