There's a new face seeing patients at Willow Ridge Center in Maynardville. The long-term care and rehabilitation center, operated by Genesis Healthcare, welcomed new medical director Dr. Nancy Witherspoon (pictured above, at left) in December, and she's spent the last two months getting to know the patients and residents at Willow Ridge.

Both Witherspoon and Willow Ridge executive director Rebecca Mills agree that it's the small-town feel that makes Willow Ridge unique.

"Being the only nursing facility in Union County, we tend to have a lot of people from this area, both residents and staff," said Mills. "You have family and friends taking care of family and friends. It's a personal connection."

"It's like a big family," said Witherspoon. "You see a lot of longevity here, and Rebecca is a very hands-on administrator. You never see her just sitting behind her desk."

Witherspoon hails from Pennsylvania, where she grew up and attended school. She came to Tennessee on a fellowship with UT hospital and enjoyed the area so much she decided to stay and put down roots. She lives in Dandridge, where she is a family practice physician with Health Star Physicians. Witherspoon and her family have a farm where they raise goats through the local 4-H program, and she calls the farm, "my stress relief."

Witherspoon is attending physician for all patients at Willow Ridge. She makes rounds once every other week, and nurse practitioner Jamie Giles visits three days per week. Witherspoon said she became interested in long-term care about five years ago in the process of earning a certification in the field.

"I realized I liked it," she said. "It's such a vulnerable population, and I think that there aren't as many physicians as interested in it as they used to be. It's very rewarding to make their quality of life better, and they are very appreciative."

While many may think of Willow Ridge as a traditional nursing home, and it does house geriatric patients under that model, many residents are short-term care and rehabilitation patients who will go home once treatment is complete. The facility has 77 beds, and Mills said Willow Ridge averages 74 residents.

Mills said guidelines for long-term care are also "evolving," with new standards of care developing for aging populations. Witherspoon said the changing face of long-term care and rehabilitation is "challenging in a good way."

"We've always tried to provide quality care, and we're striving to continue providing quality care under evolving guidelines," she said.

Mills said community involvement is also important at Willow Ridge. With events like an Easter Egg hunt and fireworks on the Fourth of July, the center invites non-residents to come, visit, and be part of residents' lives. She said residents especially enjoy people who will come and play music "that our residents grew up with," not just around the holidays, but throughout the year. Donations of technology like iPods, smartphones and tablets are also needed so residents can listen to music and stay in touch with family through social media.

"It's a hard decision to put people in long-term care," said Witherspoon. "We try to treat them like we would our own family."

"We really appreciate Dr. Witherspoon and her involvement. I think it's off to a good start," said Mills.

Info: www.genesishcc.com/WillowRidgeTN or 865-992-5816