“ As a family physician , I see myself as a kind of counselor to help people achieve better health .”
Family Practitioner
“ As a family physician , I see myself as a kind of counselor to help people achieve better health .”
Doug Kabbes , MD
Welcoming
Dr . Doug Kabbes
Family Practitioner
Douglas Kabbes , MD , looks forward to helping people achieve their highest level of overall health and wellbeing .
He recently joined the medical staff at Family Medical Center in Mattoon , after working in emergency medicine for more than 30 years . Since 1998 , Dr . Kabbes served as Medical Director of Emergency Services at St . Anthony ’ s Memorial Hospital in Effingham . “ It ’ s a big change , but I ’ m looking forward to new challenges ,” he said .
Dr . Kabbes is currently caring for people with longtime family physician Gary Mikel , MD , with plans to take over the practice upon Dr . Mikel ’ s retirement at the end of the year .
In the ER , Dr . Kabbes took care of people of all ages , including those facing the end of life , with every problem imaginable . In his new role , he hopes to have a big impact by establishing partnerships with people to help them prevent , understand and manage illnesses and set healthcare goals . “ Family medicine is different than the ER in that way ,” he said . “ In the ER , I took action and got immediate feedback . As a family physician , I see myself as kind of a counselor to help people achieve better health .”
Dr . Kabbes plans to counsel people to make good lifestyle choices : to eat right , exercise , drink in moderation and not smoke . “ My personal philosophy is to make exercise and healthy choices a lifestyle rather than a ‘ one-month thing ’ to lose weight , for example . I think many things can be addressed , even if they can ’ t be cured , with a healthy lifestyle – things like hypertension , diabetes , cancer and heart disease ,” he said . And Dr . Kabbes walks the talk . He is fit and trim , and he works out for about two hours each morning .
An Effingham native , Dr . Kabbes was the first in his family to go to college , enrolling in the pre-med program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale after high school . He said that the day he learned that he was responsible for paying his own tuition was between “ the worst day and the best day of my life .” It drove him to work harder , and he was accepted into SIU School of Medicine at a time when just 35 percent of applicants made the cut . “ When you ’ re invested and your money is on the line , you tend to focus a little bit more fully ,” he said , explaining that he worked 60-hour weeks in the summers on the sealer crew for Effingham Asphalt to gather necessary funds .
Dr . Kabbes then completed a three-year family practice residency offered through SIU in Decatur , where he started working in the Emergency Department on the weekends . He was drawn to the fast-paced environment and later worked in various emergency departments in Illinois , including several years at St . Mary ’ s Hospital in Decatur and a year as a family practice physician in Marshall , before returning to his hometown hospital in Effingham .
Deciding to become a physician , he said , was the result of “ a culmination of several things . I care about people and I want to take care of people .”
Ready for a change , Dr . Kabbes is impressed by the attitude and professionalism he has encountered at Sarah Bush Lincoln . He looks forward to being a doctor that people can count on and trust .
To make an appointment with Dr . Kabbes , call 217-234-7000 or go to www . sarahbush . org . His office is located at Family Medical Center , 200 Richmond Avenue East , Suite 1 , in Mattoon .
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