By: Betty Lee
Dr. Kimberly Becher doesn’t wear a cape, however, in a sense, her white lab coat that flows in and out of exam rooms all day might as well be one. Her white coat symbolizes all the work she has put in to providing world class care right here in rural West Virginia. When Nurse Lesile Taylor met Dr. Becher three years ago, she thought tor herself, “Whew…This woman is fierce!”
Recently featured in WV Living Magazine and being named 2020 West Virginia Wonder Woman, Dr. Becher shows that it is about more than helping behind exam room doors. Becher is a rural doctor for Community Care of West Virginia in Clay County where there are no specialists or hospitals. Not only does Becher serve patients in office, but she can be caught after hours writing up grants, handing out vouchers for groceries in times of need, and looking for ways to improve the general life of others.
When people discuss Clay County, the conversation leads into the poor, struggling background of a lot of its residents. It is no secret that a lot of our people struggle to pay bills, put food on the table, and afford medical care. It’s looked at as a defeat in most ways, but Dr. Becher has managed to take this and turn it into a pathway to send help to so many people.
For the three year that Taylor has worked with Dr. Becher the grants that have came to light due to the hard work of Dr. Becher, she says is amazing. From grants to help pay utility bills, provide much needed medication and even help get groceries for struggling families. Becher even gets needed medical equipment such as scales, blood pressure cuffs, and finger pulse ox machines to qualifying patients. What other provider or facility goes to this extreme for their patients? Lesile works closely with Dr. Becher and the phrases, “Tell Dr. Becher I don’t know what I would do without her,” or, “I have never had a doctor so invested in my health,” can be heard daily by patients.
Lesile goes on to say, “As a patient myself, I have sat in the exam room with her looking me in the eyes, talking to me rather than staring at a computer or phone while distantly providing care. She makes it personal, taking every single patient and making their health her priority. She earns trust and knocks down barriers in patient care. I would not want anyone else over my care.”
