Written by Kathryn Millhorn
Originally Published by Grays Harbor Talk

Most of us won’t require the type of loud, chaotic surgical intervention we see on TV, and that’s a very good thing. But needing general surgery isn’t uncommon, especially as we age. Harbor Regional Health (HRH) is proud to add Dr. Andrew Kowalski to their general surgery team to help combat everything life throws our way.

Thankfully 21st century surgeons can easily combat a wide variety of issues. At HRH, general surgery includes colonoscopies, lump- or mastectomies, biopsies for melanoma or other skin conditions, appendectomies, hernia repair, vasectomies, and placement of tubes or ports for further treatment. Kowalski is ready to jump in and lend a helping and highly skilled hand.

Joining Harbor Regional Health Felt Like Coming Home to Surgeon Andrew Kowalski

Kowalski is a Salinas, California native who first experienced Washington while attending Gonzaga University. There he met his wife Rachel and decided to go into medicine. It was in the medical program at Yakima’s Pacific Northwest University where he fell in love with general surgery. “Both my wife and I loved our time in Washington, and always had planned on moving back here after completing my residency,” he says.

So, Kowalski took the initiative and here we are. “I initially heard about the job opening at Harbor Regional Health simply by inquiring with the hospital itself directly. Working with a group of three other established surgeons in a location like Aberdeen seemed like the perfect fit for what I was looking for. I started with HRH at the beginning of September and already I feel like both my wife and I have been immediately welcomed into the community.”

But he’s no stranger to our area. Hie wife grew up in Longview, and he always loved the small-town atmosphere when they visited. “I knew I wanted to work at a community hospital because it best compliments my training, and I have always enjoyed helping the patients in this type of environment,” he says. “In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my wife and two dogs, fishing, gardening and looking forward to exploring all the opportunities that Grays Harbor has to offer.”

General Surgeons Love Tackling New Challenges

For Kowalski, finding his career calling was enviably easy. “I have known since starting medical school that I wanted to go into general surgery,” he explains. “In my first year, my medical school put on a suture clinic which taught the basics of how to throw a basic stitch, and I immediately loved the hands-on aspect of this field of medicine. When it came time during my medical training for me to start gaining more real-life experience, my rotation in general surgery was one of the very first rotations I had, and I was hooked.”

He worked a lot with the VA hospital in Spokane and loved the procedures, operating room atmosphere and being able to immediately fix a problem that has bothered his patient for a long time. Harbor Regional Health’s rural setting echoes that of Kowalski’s residency. “I like the variety and scope that practicing in a more rural setting like Aberdeen has to offer and look forward to serving the patients of this community,” he says.

While he enjoys each day’s new challenges, Kowalski finds himself especially intrigued by new robotic and minimally invasive surgeries. “During my time in residency I have done a lot of robotic surgery, and I believe that this training could bring several benefits to the patients of HRH in the future,” he shares.

Dr. Andrew Kowalski is Excited for the Future at Harbor Regional Health

As he settles in, Kowalski is already looking toward the future. “My goal is to become a well-established general surgeon at HRH who is involved in the community both inside and outside of the hospital,” he says. “I want to help spread community health awareness and get patients involved in their own care, specifically in preventative care like screening colonoscopies. Overall, I have enjoyed my experiences at HRH thus far, and am excited about the opportunities to come in the future.”

You can find a full list of general surgery evaluation services, treatment,s and procedures via Harbor Regional Health’s website. Their specific offices are located on the fifth floor of Warren Medical Services Building (East Campus) at 1006 North H Street in Aberdeen. Have questions or want to schedule an appointment? Simply call 360.537.6414 today.

Successful general surgery includes skillful diagnosis followed by preoperative, operative and postoperative management of many different aspects of the body. Undergoing any procedure with a team you trust makes the outcome positive and even more successful. Don’t live in pain or the worry of an undiagnosed issue, let Dr. Kowalski and the team answer questions and walk alongside you every step of the way.

Originally Publish on Grays Harbor Talk

Grays Harbor Community Hospital General Surgeon Dr. Jonathan Gifford is no stranger to helping people in need — both at home and overseas.

The first and second time Dr. Gifford traveled to Haiti he was in college on a mission trip with his church. He wasn’t a medical student yet, but he already knew he wanted to help people. It was on his first trip that Dr. Gifford immersed himself in the culture and learned the Creole language — a skill that would aid him in future trips to the Caribbean country.

During medical school, Dr. Gifford didn’t have time to visit Haiti, but he knew another trip was in his future — he just didn’t know when. After completing his residency, Dr. Gifford attended a regional medical conference. It was at this conference that he was introduced to Snell Fontas, a physician, native Haitian, and founder of the Oregon-based organization Lane Haitian Relief, a non-profit that sends medical teams to the southern coast of Haiti twice a year.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in the 1960s, Dr. Fontas didn’t grow up in Haiti, but he would later become well acquainted with his country of birth during visits to Centre Medical Emmanuel, a hospital and nursing school in Cayes Jacmel, Haiti, built by missionaries in the 1970s. The medical center was founded by Dr. Louis Phillipe, a longtime friend of the Fontas family.

Over the years, Dr. Fontas would bring teams of medical professionals to visit Haiti, not only to provide medical services to the local population, but to introduce Americans to what Fontas refers to as “Magical Haiti.” It wasn’t until a devastating earthquake hit Haiti in 2010 that Dr. Fontas decided to establish Lane Haitian Relief as a way of organizing regularly scheduled, biannual trips to Centre Medical Emmanuel with Northwest-based doctors.

Dr. Gifford has traveled to Haiti with Lane Haitian Relief three times over the past few years, and it’s an experience he always looks forward to.

During trips to Haiti, Dr. Gifford says most of his time is spent in the operating room. Dr. Gifford says in many cases it’s a challenge just for patients to make it to Centre Medical Emmanuel, but that the trip is worth it. Something as simple as correcting a hernia can be life changing. “Someone with a hernia can’t do much in a society that’s so dependent on manual labor,” Dr. Gifford explains. “They carry water, haul food — that’s basic daily living. Fixing a hernia can make a big difference in someone’s life.” And, Dr. Gifford says his patients are always very thankful for the treatment they receive. “That’s rewarding,” he says.

It’s the thankful, gracious attitudes of the Haitian people that Dr. Gifford looks forward to most during his visits to Haiti.

In a country where money, possessions and security are a rarity, Dr. Gifford says the people of Haiti never hesitate to share. “During one of the trips I had in college, we were researching the availability of prosthetics in Haiti,” Dr. Gifford reminisces. During his research, Dr. Gifford came in contact with a group of locals who worked with handicapped people. While talking with the group, Dr. Gifford mentioned he hadn’t had a good coconut since he arrived. The next time Dr. Gifford encountered the people from the handicapped group, they had brought him an entire bag of coconuts. “Everyone is happy and grateful,” Dr. Gifford says. “They’re humble people. They don’t have a lot. They’re grateful for whatever they can get.”

Dr. Fontas says on Lane Haitian Relief’s website, “When I decided to put together and lead these trips to Haiti, I never thought the response would be so positive. All I wanted to do is give people an opportunity to discover what I considered a mystical place.”

It’s evident that Dr. Gifford has been enchanted by the Haitian charm Dr. Fontas is so fond of, and he’s sure to return. However, when Dr. Gifford isn’t travelling abroad sharing his medical expertise with the people of Haiti, he’s at home offering up his skills in the other community he knows and loves, Grays Harbor.

Originally Published on Grays Harbor Talk

As a surgeon, Dr. Brent Rowe has been saving lives in the Emergency Department at Grays Harbor Community Hospital for 15 years. Over those years, he has been on call for many of the emergency situations that have occurred in Grays Harbor, as a part of the team of surgeons serving the Emergency Department.

After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and also attending medical school at the UW, he did his residency at York Hospital in Maine. This hospital was very similar to Grays Harbor Community Hospital, so he became well trained for a community hospital environment, gaining the skills to perform a broad spectrum of surgery.

“In the last week, I’ve done an appendix surgery, gall bladder, and melanoma,” Dr. Rowe recounted. He is an integral part of the team and is very active in keeping up with all of the constantly updated health measures so that Grays Harbor Community Hospital can give the highest quality of care. Along with other staff and physicians at the hospital, he says “we do it because we want to be here and take care of the community.” He believes having quality health care in the area is essential. He reflects on previous storms that have isolated the area in recent years.

As an on-call surgeon, Dr. Rowe has dealt with a number of trauma situations. Rowe and the local team stabilize patients so that they may be sent by helicopter, airplane or specialty ambulance to Seattle hospitals for additional care. He takes special concern for these patients because “they are our patients until the helicopter takes off.”

Although the area has experienced economic challenges, Dr. Rowe believes that Grays Harbor Community Hospital has been “doing a very good job with the resources we’ve got.” He is also part of the committee to recruit new physicians to the area. The need for physicians has been increasing in recent years as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age.

His main goal, as the hospital experiences change, is to maintain the quality of care and services that currently exist at Grays Harbor Community Hospital and hopefully find ways to grow and add new services. “We have the space to expand and advance the experience with better spaces and potentially private rooms,” he explained.

Healthcare is obviously important to everyone and Dr. Rowe shared that Grays Harbor Community Hospital is here to “take care of everybody.” The hospital, as a whole, is continuing toward the inexhaustible goal of providing quality care for area residents as well as those who travel here for the excellent surgical services. He explained that there is a give and take relationship between the hospital and the community. Both are here to support each other in the efforts to keep everyone on a path toward health and wellness.