Dr. Z bids farewell to Cassville patients and friends
Above, Dr. Jaime Zengotita bid a fond farewell to fellow staff and patients at his goodbye party at Mercy Hospital on Thursday, January 31.
February 6, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
For 14 years, Dr. Jaime Zengotita was a trusted name in healthcare for Barry County patients. This week, a thankful populace bid farewell to one of its most beloved physicians.
Dr. Zengotita, or Dr. Z as he was affectionately known by patients and staff, began his medical career in his home province of Puerto Rico. At the University of Puerto Rico, Dr. Zengotita received his bachelor’s degree in Biology, before moving on to the Ponce School of Medicine, where he received his doctorate.
From there, Dr. Zengotita did his residency at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio. Dr. Hernandez, who was working as a physician in Cassville, recruited Dr. Zengotita to come to Cassville to work with him within what was known at the time as St. John’s network.
“Back in 2004, Dr. Hernandez, who actually practiced medicine in Ohio, came here to Cassville and basically, he recruited me,” stated Dr. Zengotita.
Dr. Zengotita joined the staff of St. John’s Roaring River Clinic. At the time, Roaring River Clinic was one of two in Cassville, the other being St. John’s Cassville Clinic.
Later in his career, Dr. Zengotita teamed up with Dr. Connie Butler to consolidate the two clinics into the Roaring River Clinic in order to provide more adequate care for the community.
“He’s just been great to work with. He’s very selfless, always thinking of our patients and our coworkers,” said Dr. Butler. “He works very hard. He definitely always has in mind the community, the hospital, our clinic and the patients at all times.”
“At that point, the hospital itself was struggling with patient care and physician coverage,” said Dr. Zengotita. “Dr. Butler and I decided to join forces. We shut down the St. John’s Cassville Clinic and went together to the Roaring River Clinic. At that point, we were working well together and started growing. We were active in the hospital and active in the clinic. The clinic was continually growing. We hired a number of advanced practitioners, PAs (physician's assistants) and nurse practitioners.”
Eventually, the size of the staff and demand from the community led Dr. Butler and Dr. Zengotita to spearhead plans to build a new clinic that was attached to the hospital itself, creating what we now know as Mercy Clinic, of Cassville. “We had grown so much at that point that the Roaring River Clinic just wasn’t big enough,” said Dr. Zengotita. “So, at that point we started looking in to the building of the new clinic and expansions to the hospital. The community was gaining confidence in us and gaining confidence in the hospital.”
Dr. Zengotita recalls that time as being one of the best periods of his career.
“The process of building the new clinic was very exciting,” said Zengotita.
Even though Dr. Zengotita recently left the Cassville clinic, he still works within the Mercy system, albeit in a new, more administrative role.
Mercy is partnered with a company called GoHealth, a company that is considered to be one of the leading companies in urgent care. This allowed Mercy to open several new urgent care facilities, two in Springfield and two in northwest Arkansas with more expected to open in the area in the near future. Dr. Zengotita will serve as the medical director of those facilities.
“Essentially, my new role is to oversee the providers, the medical quality and the development of those urgent care facilities,” said Dr. Zengotita. “I’ll spend a couple of shifts a week seeing patients, and the rest will be administrative.”
At his farewell party on January 31, Dr. Zengotita commented that the decision to leave was difficult but that it would ultimately be a new challenge for him and allow him to spend more time with his family.
“This has been a hard decision for him, I think. We will definitely miss him. Not having him in the clinic will be hard,” said Dr. Butler.
Taylor Weaver, practice manager of Mercy Clinic Family Medicine in Cassville, said, “He really is a father-figure. He’s wonderful, he really is the dad of the clinic. He brings everybody under his wing and is willing to teach you. It’s tragic. We know we can’t replace him. I mean, we can get a new person, but we can’t replace him. So, we’re just going to have to build a new family unit.”
Dr. Zengotita used his farewell party, which was open to the public, as an opportunity to thank his coworkers and patients for allowing him to help build a thriving clinic. Patients tearfully thanked him. Coworkers expressed their love for him during a video presentation orchestrated by Dr. Butler and Weaver.
The line to say farewell to Dr. Zengotita stretched from one end of the generously-sized conference room to the other.
“The clinic coworkers have been like family,” said Dr. Zengotita. “They’re committed, their hearts are in the right place. I know the patients will be well cared for.”
Vinnie Roberts
For 14 years, Dr. Jaime Zengotita was a trusted name in healthcare for Barry County patients. This week, a thankful populace bid farewell to one of its most beloved physicians.
Dr. Zengotita, or Dr. Z as he was affectionately known by patients and staff, began his medical career in his home province of Puerto Rico. At the University of Puerto Rico, Dr. Zengotita received his bachelor’s degree in Biology, before moving on to the Ponce School of Medicine, where he received his doctorate.
From there, Dr. Zengotita did his residency at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio. Dr. Hernandez, who was working as a physician in Cassville, recruited Dr. Zengotita to come to Cassville to work with him within what was known at the time as St. John’s network.
“Back in 2004, Dr. Hernandez, who actually practiced medicine in Ohio, came here to Cassville and basically, he recruited me,” stated Dr. Zengotita.
Dr. Zengotita joined the staff of St. John’s Roaring River Clinic. At the time, Roaring River Clinic was one of two in Cassville, the other being St. John’s Cassville Clinic.
Later in his career, Dr. Zengotita teamed up with Dr. Connie Butler to consolidate the two clinics into the Roaring River Clinic in order to provide more adequate care for the community.
“He’s just been great to work with. He’s very selfless, always thinking of our patients and our coworkers,” said Dr. Butler. “He works very hard. He definitely always has in mind the community, the hospital, our clinic and the patients at all times.”
“At that point, the hospital itself was struggling with patient care and physician coverage,” said Dr. Zengotita. “Dr. Butler and I decided to join forces. We shut down the St. John’s Cassville Clinic and went together to the Roaring River Clinic. At that point, we were working well together and started growing. We were active in the hospital and active in the clinic. The clinic was continually growing. We hired a number of advanced practitioners, PAs (physician's assistants) and nurse practitioners.”
Eventually, the size of the staff and demand from the community led Dr. Butler and Dr. Zengotita to spearhead plans to build a new clinic that was attached to the hospital itself, creating what we now know as Mercy Clinic, of Cassville. “We had grown so much at that point that the Roaring River Clinic just wasn’t big enough,” said Dr. Zengotita. “So, at that point we started looking in to the building of the new clinic and expansions to the hospital. The community was gaining confidence in us and gaining confidence in the hospital.”
Dr. Zengotita recalls that time as being one of the best periods of his career.
“The process of building the new clinic was very exciting,” said Zengotita.
Even though Dr. Zengotita recently left the Cassville clinic, he still works within the Mercy system, albeit in a new, more administrative role.
Mercy is partnered with a company called GoHealth, a company that is considered to be one of the leading companies in urgent care. This allowed Mercy to open several new urgent care facilities, two in Springfield and two in northwest Arkansas with more expected to open in the area in the near future. Dr. Zengotita will serve as the medical director of those facilities.
“Essentially, my new role is to oversee the providers, the medical quality and the development of those urgent care facilities,” said Dr. Zengotita. “I’ll spend a couple of shifts a week seeing patients, and the rest will be administrative.”
At his farewell party on January 31, Dr. Zengotita commented that the decision to leave was difficult but that it would ultimately be a new challenge for him and allow him to spend more time with his family.
“This has been a hard decision for him, I think. We will definitely miss him. Not having him in the clinic will be hard,” said Dr. Butler.
Taylor Weaver, practice manager of Mercy Clinic Family Medicine in Cassville, said, “He really is a father-figure. He’s wonderful, he really is the dad of the clinic. He brings everybody under his wing and is willing to teach you. It’s tragic. We know we can’t replace him. I mean, we can get a new person, but we can’t replace him. So, we’re just going to have to build a new family unit.”
Dr. Zengotita used his farewell party, which was open to the public, as an opportunity to thank his coworkers and patients for allowing him to help build a thriving clinic. Patients tearfully thanked him. Coworkers expressed their love for him during a video presentation orchestrated by Dr. Butler and Weaver.
The line to say farewell to Dr. Zengotita stretched from one end of the generously-sized conference room to the other.
“The clinic coworkers have been like family,” said Dr. Zengotita. “They’re committed, their hearts are in the right place. I know the patients will be well cared for.”