QMG Stories

For the third year, the Bridge the Gap to Health Race will sup­port a local orga­ni­za­tion through its Bridge the Gap Grant, which funds cap­i­tal projects that enhance health ini­tia­tives, youth pro­grams, and com­mu­ni­ty devel­op­ment. This year, the QMG Foun­da­tion is proud to part­ner with Quin­cy Chil­dren’s Muse­um, an orga­ni­za­tion ded­i­cat­ed to spark­ing imag­i­na­tions and nur­tur­ing poten­tial in every child.

After months of pain and weak­ness began affect­ing her every­day life, Michele knew she could­n’t keep push­ing through it. An MRI revealed a large disc her­ni­a­tion in her neck, lead­ing her to QMG Ortho­pe­dic Spine Sur­geon Dr. Philip Mein­hardt and, ulti­mate­ly, min­i­mal­ly inva­sive surgery at the QMG Surgery Cen­ter. Now recov­er­ing well, Michele is look­ing for­ward to get­ting back to the class­room and feel­ing like her­self again.

Get to know Kait­lyn Phillips, FNP‑C, who found her pas­sion for health­care at a young age and dis­cov­ered how much she enjoyed car­ing for peo­ple while work­ing as a CNA in high school. Out­side of car­ing for patients, she enjoys life on her family’s ​“fun­ny farm,” spend­ing time with her fam­i­ly and stay­ing active in her faith and com­mu­ni­ty. She also shares her approach to stay­ing healthy, from focus­ing on the basics to mak­ing pre­ven­tive care a priority.

Eliz­a­beth Ter­welp, PA‑C, brings her pas­sion for well­ness and con­tin­ued learn­ing to her role with the QMG Pri­ma­ry Care team. A Quin­cy native, Eliz­a­beth returned to her home­town after PA school to raise her fam­i­ly and care for the com­mu­ni­ty she calls home.

Every patient brings a dif­fer­ent sto­ry, and for Lau­ra Gar­rett, FNP‑C, that’s part of what makes being a nurse prac­ti­tion­er so reward­ing. At our Mt. Ster­ling Clin­ic, Lau­ra cares for patients of all ages while con­tin­u­ing to learn and grow in a field that is always chang­ing. For Advanced Prac­tice Providers Week, we’re get­ting to know Lau­ra beyond the exam room.

Mike N.’s expe­ri­ence high­lights the impor­tance of hav­ing a pri­ma­ry care provider who knows you and can help you nav­i­gate your care. With Kaitlin Phillips, FNP‑C, Mike has found a trust­ed provider who responds when some­thing feels dif­fer­ent and helps con­nect him to the right resources and specialists.

The Quin­cy Med­ical Group Foun­da­tion’s 26^th Annu­al Bridge the Gap to Health Race raised more than $70,000 to sup­port local fam­i­lies and com­mu­ni­ty health ini­tia­tives, includ­ing a new fam­i­ly vis­i­ta­tion space at Con­nect Child & Fam­i­ly Solu­tions and the Foun­da­tion’s Com­mu­ni­ty Impact Fund.

Dr. Michael K. Ouwen­ga Schol­ar­ship recip­i­ents Logan and Mor­gan Zanger are turn­ing their pas­sion for help­ing oth­ers into mean­ing­ful careers. Logan is pur­su­ing a future in school psy­chol­o­gy and neu­rode­vel­op­men­tal eval­u­a­tions, while Mor­gan is on a pre-med track with plans to become a gyne­col­o­gist and researcher in wom­en’s health. Both cred­it the schol­ar­ship with pro­vid­ing the sup­port and oppor­tu­ni­ties need­ed to pur­sue their goals and make a dif­fer­ence in the lives of others.