Greensburg — Thursday, Decatur County Memorial Hospital s (DCMH) new Women s Care Clinic celebrated its opening with a public open house.

The facility has been receiving patients since October.

The festivities kicked off with a formal ribbon cutting ceremony held in conjunction with the Greensburg-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce.

At a DCMH Spirit of Women (SOW) event in late November, the Daily News briefly chatted with OB GYN specialist and Women s Care Practice Physician Dr. Mahnee Dinsmore, M.D.

Both during the interview and during her presentation at the SOW event, Dinsmore made clear that a large, important facet of her approach to medicine is helping patients learn to have a positive outlook on life.

 Patients need to have an intention to be happy,  she explained.  They need to work on being a happy person. 

A positive outlook on life, she added, and learning to see the positive in seemingly negative experiences, are integral to maintaining good health.

The board-certified OB GYN specialist has largely arrived at that philosophy through personal experience.

Dinsmore s career trajectory has been anything but traditional.

 I ve lived everywhere and done just about everything,  she said.

Before completing her medical degree in 2001 at the Boston University School of Medicine, Dinsmore worked as a nurse in Pediatric Intensive Care and Neonatal Intensive Care.

 Burnout among pediatric nurses is very common,  she explained.  That s where I was when I decided to pursue a career change. How many babies can you bear to watch suffer and die before you ve had enough? 

Whereas most pediatric nurses tend to move laterally, however, and trade one type of nursing for another, Dinsmore decided to pursue a degree in medicine.

 At first, I considered going into theoretical mathematics,  she explained,  but my co-workers were extremely vocal in dissuading me from pursuing that field. 

She added,  And they were right. I m a people person; I like to know what makes people tick. I would ve been so utterly bored in theoretical mathematics. 

Dinsmore agreed that her experiences as a nurse laid a strong foundation for the progression into physician.

More, her personal experiences have helped guide her choice of medical field.

As the mother of two children and an ovarian cancer survivor, she s been on both sides of the doctor/patient relationship, providing a unique perspective when consulting with and advising OB GYN patients; such experiences have also made it easier to advocate her policy of a positive outlook in the face of adversity.

DCMH Director of Community Relations and Marketing Coordinator David Fry said that the hospital is extremely happy to have Dinsmore on board.

 The Women s Care practice is off to a great start and already growing,  Fry said.  Our board recently allocated more funds for Dr. Dinsmore to perform additional procedures in her practice. 

DCMH Marketing and Communications Specialist Lynzee McDowell added that Dinsmore is a perfect fit for the personal, softer, more  feminine touch  the hospital hopes to bring to its Women s Care facility.

 There are plenty of great male OB GYN s,  McDowell clarified.  But we re approaching our Women s Care clinic from the perspective of  who would know a woman s body better than another woman?  That was the source of our marketing slogan:  Women are Always Right.  



Contact: Rob Cox at 812-663-3111 x7011.