|
Phone: (276) 688-4800 Dr. Padmaja "Pam" Polavarapu is a board-certified internist who practices at the Mountain Medical Clinic in Bland, Virginia. Born in Canada, Dr. Pam is married to an attorney, Joseph Michael Kuznicki, and they are the proud parents of two sons, one born in 1997 and a second born in 1999. Dr. Pam has far-ranging interests: she is writing a novel, enjoys philosophy, and is passionate about travel. Recently, she has traveled to Chile, Morocco, and New York. Dr. Pam studied Natural Sciences at McMaster University in Ontario from 1979 to 1980. Between 1981 and 1987, she was a student at Guntur Medical College, Nagarjuna University, Andhra Pradesh, India, where she was awarded an MBBS degree in 1987. In December 1988, she successfully completed the Federation Licensure Examination (FLEX) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In March 1989, she passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in Medical Sciences. Dr. Pam completed the first year of a residency in Internal Medicine at Chestnut Hill Hospital and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She finished her Medicine training in 1993 at Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Clinic hours are 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays; 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and 8:00 a.m.-12:00 noon on Fridays. Dr. Pam's hours are the same, except she works 1:00-8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and sometimes takes off on Fridays. Dr. Pam is the county medical examiner and also works part-time as an emergency staff physician at St. Luke's Hospital in Bluefield, West Virginia, about 20 miles away, where she maintains consulting privileges. Mountain Medical Clinic patients are referred to the emergency room after office hours. Dr. Pam estimates the patient population of the Clinic to be 2% infants, 10% children, 15% adolescents, 43% adults and 30% geriatric adults. By payment mechanism, she estimates that 50% of her patients are enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare, 30% are privately insured, and 20% are uninsured. On an average day, Dr. Pam sees 25 to 35 patients. There are 4 exam rooms on the premises, along with a waived medical laboratory. Patients are referred to the hospital for more complex laboratory tests, emergency care, and x-rays. Procedures performed at the clinic include suturing, nail removal, skin lesion/wart removal, and joint injections.
The town of Bland is located just off Interstate 77 about 10 miles north of Wytheville, Virginia and 10 miles south of Bluefield, West Virginia. The population of Bland County is 6,514. Residents who train with Dr. Pam may choose to stay in area hotels as both Wytheville and Bluefield are blessed with accommodations Comfort Inn, Red Carpet Inn, Days Inn, Super 8, Sleep Inn, Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, Hampton Inn, and Ramada Inn. GMEC can try to locate furnished apartments or houses for residents, but we cannot guarantee results because short-term rentals are extremely difficult to secure in rural areas. The landscape of Bland County is rough and wild and beautiful beyond expectation. Six parallel mountain chains run the length of the county from northeast to southwest. Forests cover almost 80% of the county. The Bland economy is not dependent on coal and seems stable, based on a mix of retail trade, agriculture, transfer income (retirement pensions, disability income, and welfare benefits), manufacturing, and personal services. In 1995, the largest employers were the Bland Correctional Center, Abb Service Company (transformers), and the local school board. There are several stores, restaurants, groceries, and specialty boutiques in Bastian and Bland. For more shopping opportunities, local people drive to Wytheville or Bluefield, where they can encounter any number of restaurants, cinema screens, department stores, discount centers, and antique shops. Most of Bland County lies within the boundaries of the Jefferson National Forest. While in the area, residents should visit Wolf Creek Indian Village and Museum, Wolf Creek Gold and Country Club, Big Walker Mountain Lookout and Tunnel, Lick Creek Natural Area, the New River Gorge, Burke's Garden, Shot Tower Historical State Park, and an exhibition coal mine in Pocahontas.
|
Padmaja "Pam" Polavarapu,
M.D.
Dr. Pam moved to Bland County,
Virginia in 1993 and began practicing internal medicine at a
local community health center, the Bland County Medical Clinic
in Bastian, Virginia. In September 1995, she established the
Mountain Medical Clinic in Bland, Virginia and initiated a solo
practice. She is seeking certification of Mountain Medical as
a rural health clinic and plans to hire a physicians' assistant
in the near future.
Dr. Pam gets to know her patients
as friends and enjoys being a "country doctor." She
feels that the Mountain Medical Clinic is a good place for residents
to learn how to practice solo medicine in a quiet setting, away
from the rush of a tertiary medical center.