Writer: Erica Davis
Across north-central Oklahoma, the distance between towns can stretch for miles. But when it comes to healthcare, even a few extra miles can make a world of difference.
For rural families, access to care is not just a convenience. It is a lifeline. An unexpected emergency, a cancer diagnosis, or even a routine checkup can quickly become complicated when the nearest provider is far from home. In recent years, those challenges have only grown. Rural hospital closures, provider shortages, and an aging population have intensified the need for strong, connected healthcare systems that can meet patients where they are.
That need has helped shape the evolution of Stillwater Medical.
What began as a single community hospital has steadily grown into a regional healthcare network serving communities across north central Oklahoma. Clinics have opened in towns such as Ponca City, Cushing, Perkins, Pawnee, Morrison, Tonkawa, and Enid, bringing primary and specialty care closer to home for thousands of patients.
The growth has never been about expansion for its own sake. Instead, it reflects a commitment to ensuring that rural families can receive compassionate care close to home, supported by providers who understand the communities they serve.
In Cushing, Physician Assistant Amber Reinecke sees that impact every day at Cushing Family Practice. As a family medicine provider, she cares for patients through every stage of life, from newborns to seniors. Some of her favorite moments come during visits with the youngest patients.
“The thing I love seeing more than anything else is my babies,” Reinecke said. “We see patients from birth until death since we are family practice, but those well child checks are some of my favorite visits. I love educating parents and helping alleviate worry because I have been there myself.”
Reinecke has practiced in Cushing for more than a decade and has spent the last six years as part of the Stillwater Medical network. Over that time, she has watched both the clinic and the community grow together. One of the most meaningful parts of her work is caring for families across generations.
“I have patients I started seeing when they were kids who now bring in their own children,” Reinecke said. “Those relationships are really special.”
Having access to care nearby makes those relationships possible. It also ensures that families do not have to wait weeks or travel long distances when they need help.
Reinecke has expanded her practice to include additional women’s health services that can be difficult to access quickly in smaller communities.
“A lot of times if you are trying to get into a gynecologist it can take months,” Reinecke said. “Here we can usually get people in within a week. Being able to offer those services locally helps reduce a lot of stress and anxiety for patients.”
Stories like Reinecke’s are playing out across the region as Stillwater Medical continues to support its growing network of clinics and providers.
In Perry, family medicine physician Dr. Julian Cecil has built a practice rooted in a deep understanding of rural life. Growing up surrounded by wheat fields, he watched his father serve their community as the director of a local ambulance service.
“Not a lot of people want to come to a small town and practice,” Cecil said. “But we have done a lot of good things in our clinic. People come here because they know we are going to do a good job and we care.”
Today, Cecil practices at Community Medical Clinic in Perry, where he cares for patients of all ages and works to address the broader health challenges facing rural communities.
“These communities do not have physicians or easy access to care,” Cecil said. “Stillwater Medical has been paramount in keeping healthcare alive in this community.”
Stillwater Medical expanded its presence in Perry in 2018 and later in Blackwell in 2021, helping preserve local access to emergency and hospital services in areas where rural hospitals have increasingly struggled to remain open.
But rural healthcare is not defined only by emergencies. It is also about prevention, early diagnosis, and managing chronic conditions over time. Those efforts require consistent access to trusted providers who know their patients and their communities.
For Cecil, that connection is at the heart of his work.
“It is about asking what could I do better, and how can I help this person,” Cecil said. “I do not want to leave anyone behind.”
That spirit of service reflects the broader mission guiding Stillwater Medical. As a public trust, not-for-profit health system, its priorities are driven by the needs of the region it serves.
Providers like Reinecke and Cecil represent the heart of that mission. Their work demonstrates how healthcare can strengthen families, build trust, and support entire communities.
