By the Numbers - Celebrating the Physicians of Ozarks Healthcare on Doctors’ Day

This Doctors’ Day, Ozarks Healthcare is celebrating the physicians who dedicate their lives to caring for patients across south-central Missouri, not just with gratitude, but with perspective.

By the numbers, Ozarks Healthcare’s care team makes a big impact: Ozarks Healthcare has 57 active medical staff physicians, including 35 who are employed by the health system. In total, 45 physicians are employed by Ozarks Healthcare, along with 38 Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse Midwives, and Physician Assistants. This depth of staff gives Ozarks Healthcare the capacity to provide a full spectrum of primary and specialty care across the region, delivering advanced service lines close to home for patients throughout south-central Missouri.

Behind each of those numbers is a story of healing, compassion, and connection.

One of those stories belongs to Dr. Clara Applegate, neurologist at Ozarks Healthcare. Recently, one of her patients created a painting to express how she experiences communication between her brain and body before and after seeking treatment, a powerful visual representation of the journey she has navigated under her care.

The artwork illustrates the intricate relationship between neurological conditions before and after getting proper care, something Applegate helps patients understand every day. For this patient, it became more than a painting. It became a way to show gratitude and to process the complexity of neurological care.

Beyond artwork, many patients have shared five-star reviews reflecting the compassionate care they receive across Ozarks Healthcare’s robust system of regional providers:

Wanda Moore: “My experience at Ozarks Healthcare Mountain Grove was great. Dr. [Sarah] Williams was great to explain and be honest with me.”

Natalie Carey: “My first visit with Dr. [Caleb] Piatt [Ozarks Healthcare Orthopedics and Spine] was a great experience. I was in and out within 30 minutes. The staff was very friendly. Dr. Piatt was also very friendly and took the time to explain everything to me and listen to my questions. The best experience I've ever had at an orthopedic clinic. I highly recommend!”

Geraldina Peterson: “Dr. [Jose] Crespo and his nurse are amazingly kind and compassionate! I’m in significant pain due to an accident I was in almost three years ago, and they were surprisingly patient and empathetic with me throughout the entire visit. I felt heard, respected, and cared for. I will strongly recommend him and all of the staff at Ozarks Healthcare’s Women’s Health Clinic to everyone I know and meet!”

“Moments like this remind us that medicine is both science and humanity,” Terence Farrell, Ozarks Healthcare President and CEO, said. “Our physicians are not only highly skilled clinicians, they are trusted partners in some of the most vulnerable moments of our patients’ lives. We are incredibly proud of our 45 employed physicians and entire medical staff who serve our communities with compassion and excellence.”

In rural healthcare, access matters. Because of the strength of its medical staff, Ozarks Healthcare is able to provide specialty and primary care services close to home, reducing the need for patients to travel long distances for treatment. Its regional reach and advanced service lines ensure patients receive high-quality care close to home.

Ozarks Healthcare’s physicians are part of a team consistently recognized for excellence by the community they serve. In the most recent West Plains Daily Quill “Best of the Best” awards, Ozarks Healthcare was honored in numerous categories, including Best Regional Hospital, Best Employer, Best Urgent Care, Best Cardiology Practice, Best Oncology Practice, Best Pediatric Practice, and Best Women’s Health Care Practice. Several providers were also individually recognized, including Dr. Karen Johal as Best Pediatrician and Dr. Ryan Vaisler as Best Primary Care Provider, along with other outstanding team members. These honors reflect the dedication of Ozarks Healthcare’s physicians and caregivers who work every day to provide compassionate, high-quality care to the communities they serve.

Ozarks Healthcare is also proud to celebrate its providers recognized on 417 Magazine’s 2025 Top Doctors list for the West Plains area. Award winners include Dr. Hussain Ibrahim in Cardiovascular Disease at Ozarks Healthcare’s Heart and Lung Center; Dr. Leslie Marshall in Dermatology at Ozarks Healthcare Dermatology; and Dr. Curtis Horstman in Emergency Medicine at Ozarks Healthcare’s Emergency Department.

Other honored providers are Dr. Nashmia Riaz in Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism at Ozarks Healthcare Endocrinology; Dr. Priscilla Frase in Hospitalist Care; Dr. Ritu Kathuria in Infectious Disease; Dr. Clara Applegate in Neurology; Drs. Tyler Rex Goodman and David Lish in Podiatry; and Dr. Jesse Rhoads in Psychiatry.

"Our providers combine exceptional skill with genuine compassion every day,” Dr. Curtis Horstman, Ozarks Healthcare Chief Medical Officer, said. “From routine checkups to complex specialty care, they dedicate themselves to improving the health and well-being of every patient who walks through our doors. It’s their expertise, teamwork, and commitment to this community that make Ozarks Healthcare a trusted regional provider."

These awards highlight the exceptional care, expertise, and dedication our providers bring to the Ozarks community every day.

This Doctors’ Day, Ozarks Healthcare invites the community to join in thanking the physicians who serve this region with dedication, expertise, and heart.

To learn more about providers at Ozarks Healthcare, visit www.ozarkshealthcare.com.

Ozarks Healthcare is a not-for-profit health system that serves more than 160,000 residents across south-central Missouri and northern Arkansas. With its main campus residing in West Plains, Missouri, the health system offers a full spectrum of healthcare for all ages through its 114-bed hospital, behavioral health, therapies, pharmacies, rehabilitation, and home care services, along with specialty and family medicine clinics. Ozarks Healthcare has rural locations across an eight-county service area and is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.

Donna Lay, patient of Dr. Clara Applegate, neurologist at Ozarks Healthcare, created a painting to express how she experiences communication between her brain and body before and after seeking treatment, a powerful visual representation of the journey she has navigated under her care.