Orthopedist Dr. Molly Meadows has launched her practice and the orthopedics program at Mee Memorial Healthcare System (MMHS) in King City starting this month.
King City, CA, November 11, 2020 — Orthopedist Dr. Molly Meadows has launched her practice and the orthopedics program at Mee Memorial Healthcare System (MMHS) in King City starting this month. As the on-staff expert, Meadows is seeing patients of all ages to diagnose and treat orthopedic-related medical conditions.
With a career focus and specialty training in pediatrics and adult sports, Meadows completed medical school at Columbia University, did five years of residency at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and two years of fellowship at Stanford’s Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Redwood City.
Looking to bridge into a practice, she was excited when Dr. Robert Valladeres, Chief Medical Officer at MMHS, reached out to convey to her the real need in the community for these services.
“The opportunity to join the MMHS team as the organization was beginning to build this specialty area was really appealing to me,” says Meadows.
Her practice at MMHS also aligns with her broader humanitarian interests, having served on several mission trips to Honduras, Bolivia and Ethiopia with organizations such as Operation Rainbow that connect rural and underserved areas with specialty services and providers.
Meadows knew from a very young age that she wanted to be an orthopedist.
“As a gymnast growing up in Berkeley, I saw a lot of injuries that resulted from taxing the body and thought it amazing how doctors could put the musculoskeletal system back together,” she says.
Due to the complexity of this system, surgeons currently tend to focus on certain areas of orthopedics, says Meadows. “While you can still find some professionals that do it all, the trend today is towards specialization in order to really perfect one’s technique, and studies have shown this to be more effective in achieving great outcomes.”
Pediatric orthopedists typically diagnose and treat the full spectrum of conditions, from the rare, such as congenital issues and bone deformities, to the more common conditions, like broken bones and athletic injuries such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus tears (the piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber between the shin and thighbone) and kneecap dislocations.
Typical adult conditions that she treats include rotator cuff tears, ligament injuries, and meniscus and cartilage injuries. Many of Meadows’ joint surgeries can be done arthroscopically; using a minimally invasive procedure where instruments are inserted via small incisions and a fiber optic tube, reducing downtime and scarring.
Her approach as a new hire has been to meet as many patients as possible, get to know them, exhaust all non-surgical treatment possibilities first (this often involves physical therapy) and then perform surgery when absolutely necessary.
Currently, most of Meadows’ cases come from primary care referrals within the MMHS network, but the organization is widening its reach to expand these services throughout the South County community.
Meadows loves working with the patients and staff at MMHS.
“The patients are so very grateful as this service has not been available for some time — it’s very rewarding to work with people who are thankful!” she says. “The medical and support staff have been so gracious and welcoming and I am eager to offer expert orthopedic services to first-time patients in need of orthopedic care or athletes preparing to get back in the game.”
Of highest priority for the Mee Memorial Healthcare System (MMHS) is keeping our community healthy. This includes offering an extensive array of medical and preventative services with a commitment to the highest possible standards, the best available technology, and the care of skilled professionals.
Marci Bracco Cain
The Buzz PR LLC
(831) 747-7455
https://www.meememorial.com/ortho
