Local Cardiologist is a Game Changer for South Arkansas Patient
“I think my Little Rock doctor days may be over.”
Detri McGhee has lived in Star City most of her life, and after many years of working in Little Rock, her physicians were in the capital city as well. Detri was at home one evening last May when she started feeling nauseous and having pain she thought might be indigestion. Detri had a history of heart issues, and when she didn’t feel better the next morning, she called her cardiologist in Little Rock. “The nurse told me to go to the nearest emergency room immediately, which was Jefferson Regional. So I did.”
Detri was seen in the Emergency Department by cardiologist Jainil Shah, M.D. of Jefferson Regional Cardiology Associates. “They got me right in and I was seeing the doctor within a matter of minutes. I was very pleased – with him and the emergency department.”
Detri was admitted, and the next day Dr. Shah implanted two cardiac stents. “I was very groggy, but not completely out,” Detri said, “and I heard Dr Shah ask another physician for his opinion on what Dr. Shah planned to do. And I immediately thought ‘I like him!’ Because he had the confidence to ask for someone else’s opinion … he cared more about me and my outcome than himself.”
“He also impressed me during my office visits following the procedure,” Detri continued. “I didn’t like the side effects of one particular type of medication, and after trying several different prescriptions, I decided not to take them at all. I even told him I understood if he didn’t want see me anymore, because I wasn’t following his recommendation. But he assured me that it was my body and my decision to make. I told my husband, ‘I think my Little Rock doctor days may be over’.”
Detri has visited Jefferson Regional for other medical issues since that time and has continued to have great experiences, noting that she had been pleased not only with the way the staff treated her, but the way they treated each other. “I just appreciate people being kind to each other. When a patient hears the staff working so well together, it’s a comfort, and you expect them to treat you the same way.”
Detri is now back to her routine, semi-retired and running a non-profit in Star City, but if she ever needs heart care again, she knows where she will be going. “People in Southeast Arkansas need to understand the extreme value of us having Jefferson Regional right here. Another 30 minutes might mean your life.”
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