Mount Vernon Family Medicine in uptown Mount Vernon has officially opened its doors.

The clinic, run by Dr. Jamie (Wallace) Smith, was something Smith dreamed up roughly two years ago.

Smith had been a doctor at Unity Point Clinic in Mount Vernon up until 2022.

“I really like taking care of the community and townspeople,” Smith said. “When I was approached about potentially opening an independent family medicine clinic in Mount Vernon, I was a little apprehensive. It is almost next to impossible to just start a private clinic these days.”

Smith had been approached about the idea roughly two years ago, and had spent a long time looking for the right space.

The former Mount Vernon Family Dentistry office at 107 N. First Street East proved to be the perfect space.

Smith has slowly been remodeling the space to serve as a doctor’s office since last winter, getting the space ready.

Smith said she will be providing traditional family medicine for patients from infants to the elderly. She provides maternity care for patients up to 32 weeks in pregnancy, and then shares that patient with physicians in other hospitals.

“I love pediatrics and I love sports medicine,” Smith said.

Smith went to medical school at the University of Iowa after attending Cornell College, and then completed her residency at Genesis Family Residency in Davenport for three years, before joining UnityPoint Clinic in 2012.

She said she loves her former partners at UnityPoint Clinic, and doesn’t view herself as competition, but a complimentary service to the other clinics in the area.

“Everyone needs a doctor,” Smith said. “We need family physicians at all levels, and I’m excited to be doing this.”

She’s also loved being back in the community and taking care of patients.

“I am so not into the business side of this profession,” Smith said. “What you do as a doctor is so much the business side. When I saw my first patient on Monday, however, I had a feeling of calm and like this was what I’d been missing. It just felt right.”

The clinic has three full time staff – Stacey Hrabak, patient and billing services coordinator, Megan Gerst, registered nurse, and Heather Westphal, LPN – as well as help from Angie Axdahl with the Cedar Rapids independent clinic who has been helpful for Smith to be opening her own clinic.

“Angie has been an invaluable resource, who helps me navigate the insurance contracts and medical supply items that are needed for a clinic,” Smith said.

The clinic is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Smith said as an independent doctor, she takes all major insurances, and if she needs to refer to other doctors in other communities, patients have the ability to help choose that referral.

Just like clinics at UnityPoint and MercyCare, the clinic has a small lab that can draw blood and conduct simple tests to determine diagnoses for items like flu or strep. Blood work is then sent to the lab in Cedar Rapids.

Smith’s dad, Jim Wallace was a long-time volunteer with the Lisbon Mount Vernon Ambulance service.

“The running joke is the Wallace family are just drawn to medicine,” Smith said. “My brother is who got my dad into volunteering with the EMS service.”

Smith originally studied environmental sciences and biology, but she marks those as her hobbies now.

Her husband, Rik, is also a veterinarian in town, running Mount Vernon Veterinary Clinic PC. The couple have three children – Ellie, 10, Caleb, 5, and Abby, 2.