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Phone: (276) 783-8123 Paul Brown is a board-certified family physician who works in a group practice called Royal Oak Medical Associates in Marion, Virginia. Dr. Brown's partners are James McDowell, M.D., Jennifer Steifel, M.D., and Chelsea Hamman, M.D. Born August 29, 1956 in Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Brown is a citizen of the United States. He was married to Elizabeth (Betsy) Ruth Orr on August 5, 1978 and they have two children Preston Hunter and Aaron Spencer. Dr. Brown holds a BS degree in Chemistry, awarded in 1978 by Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia. He earned an MD from Virginia Commonwealth University/Medical College of Virginia in 1982. In 1985, Brown completed a three-year residency in Family Practice at Roanoke Memorial Hospitals in Roanoke, Virginia. This residency program is affiliated with the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Virginia. Dr. Brown has practiced in Marion since 1985. Honored as a Fellow by the American Academy of Family Physicians in 1992, Brown holds appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine for both the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University.
Dr. Brown sees an average of 25 patients per day. Together, the three physicians see about 80 patients per day. He estimates that 20% of his patients are children under the age of 12; 40% are adults or adolescents; and 40% are adults over the age of 65. About 50% of his patients are enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare; 40% are commercially insured; and 10% have no insurance coverage. Dr. Brown visits patients at home as needed, mostly those who are homebound or terminally ill. One of his partners, Dr. McDowell, has a certificate of added qualifications in Sports Medicine. The practice includes a substantial number of young patients with sports injuries.
Dr. Brown is particularly interested in caring for adolescents and he enjoys office procedures suturing, wound care, and trauma care. His personal interests include hiking, camping, shooting, whitewater rafting, almost any form of outdoor recreation. He is active with the Boy Scouts. Brown really enjoys teaching and he is an experienced preceptor, hosting medical students and residents in his practice and precepting on site at the Bristol Family Practice Center, which is affiliated with East Tennessee State University. Residents who train with him can expect immersion in a classic rural primary care practice that emphasizes mainstream medicine. Dr. Brown has been in practice at the same location for 20 years and he has long-standing relationships with most of his patients. Residents can witness the value of long-term doctor/patient relationships and see what it is really like to care for every member of entire families over time. Dr. Brown says that Marion is a wonderful place to live for those who love the outdoors, and he looks forward to hiking on Mount Rogers with residents who train in his service. Residents who rotate with Dr. Brown may stay in cabins on the lake at nearby Hungry Mother State Park or in some cottages in downtown Marion owned by patients of Smyth County Family Physicians. Residents may choose to stay in local hotels Budget Host, Best Western, or EconoLodge. GMEC can try to locate other furnished houses or apartments for residents, but we cannot guarantee results because short-term rentals are hard to secure in rural areas. Smyth County Community Hospital is a 176-bed acute care facility with a broad range of services emergency, inpatient and outpatient care, intensive care, surgery and anesthesia, obstetrics, radiology, imaging, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, laboratory, nutrition, physical therapy, pharmacy, and home health. The hills and hollows of Smyth County's landscape are divided into three valleys by the crests of Iron, Walker, and Little Mountains. Branches of the Holston River drain each valley. The town of Marion (pop. 6,630) lies in the middle of the central valley in Smyth County. Quiet homesteads, pastured hills, and patches of dense forest characterize the local landscape. Major elements of the economy are manufacturing, transfer payments (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits) retail trade, personal services, and tobacco and stock farming. In 1995, the largest employers were Utility Trailer (truck trailers), Dana Corporation (motor vehicle parts), Virginia House Furniture, and ITT Night Vision (aircraft parts). U.S. Interstate 81 bisects Smyth County and passes through Marion. There are several shopping centers in town, with a number of department and discount stores, cinema screens, restaurants, groceries and boutiques. The Museum of Middle Appalachia is nearby in Saltville. Hungry Mother State Park is seven miles north of Marion, with facilities for camping, picnicking, hiking, biking, boating, swimming, fishing, and horseback riding. Mount Rogers National Recreation Area is about 10 miles south of Marion and features the highest peak in Virginia.
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Paul Garland Brown, M.D.
Dr. Brown's office hours are 8:00 a.m. to
5:30 p.m., Monday Friday. He shares ten exam rooms and a trauma
room with three partners. Residents working with Brown will have one
exam room for his/her exclusive use. Services on the premises include
a medical lab of moderate complexity, x-ray, bone densitoimetry (DEXA), emergency
care, and minor surgical procedures (wound care, excisions, orthopedics,
biopsies, culposcopies). The practice has several Internet links and
a medical information system that can track the number and diagnoses
of patients seen by residents.
Brown maintains newborn, pediatric, medicine,
and ICU/CCU privileges at Smyth County Community Hospital in Marion.
The hospital is about one mile from the site of his practice. Dr. Brown
is on call one night out of seven and one weekend out of seven. There
are no call expectations for residents unless required by residency
program directors. Dr. Brown maintains nursing home privileges at Francis
Marion Manor, a 109-bed facility located about a mile from his office.
He rounds there once every 5-6 weeks.