A buzz filled the room when Tamara Kainer, the Marketing and Business Development Director of Cuero Regional Hospital, announced that Dr. Nick Lemley would be offering obstetrics services (OBS) on Wednesdays at Yorktown Medical Clinic at the Mayor Baker’s Coffee on November 19th. This is big news for the small rural Texan town which has a population of fewer than 2,000 people.
Dr. Gordon Barth, who had been Yorktown’s primary medical provider since 1983, retired in 2020, leaving a gap in healthcare services. For a brief period, Dr. Dale Denton practiced in the area.
“When Dr. Barth left, it left a huge vacuum. He was kind of the only provider in this area. Never had the pleasure of meeting him myself. I’ve only heard good things,” Lemley said.
New to DeWitt County, Dr. Lemley joined Cuero Regional Hospital approximately five years ago, in 2020.
“I was just fortunate enough to be in that position where I could step in and help so they weren’t without a physician. And yeah, I'm just hoping to fill some voids that now the town needs,” Lemley said.
Born Nicholas Lemley in Prosper, Texas, he attended Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania and completed his residency training at Texas A&M Bryan-College Station. During his rural rotation, he discovered Cuero.
“Kind of had familiarity with here (Cuero), and both my wife and I like the town. It was close to her family in New Braunfels,” Lemley said. The couple has four children, one of whom was one of the first New Year’s babies born at Cuero Hospital in 2022.
As a father and an obstetrician, Dr. Lemley understands the crucial role of prenatal care in promoting healthy births.
“The rural population in the state of Texas, if you look at the morbidity and mortality statistics for obstetric complications in rural Texas, it's not great. And so, hopefully, women seek care earlier. So, if any complications do arise, they can be addressed and taken care of before they get to a critical point,” he stressed.
Dr. Lemley, who has received training at Texas A&M College of Medicine, is equipped to handle cesarean and vaginal deliveries, as well as very high-risk pregnancies. He consults with specialists in maternal-fetal medicine and only delivers babies at Cuero Hospital, but he will be available in Yorktown on Wednesdays for OBS services.
“Nurse Summer Hahn is out there (Yorktown Medical Clinic) full-time now, as well. if they're unable to get in to see me, they can usually get in to see her the same day. She's very good at communicating with me,” Lemley added.
Dr. Lemley divides his time between Cuero and Yorktown, spending Mondays and Wednesdays at each location. He performs procedures at Cuero Hospital on Monday mornings and visits the Yorktown nursing home after lunch. On Wednesdays, he’s at the Yorktown Medical Clinic in the mornings and the nursing home after lunch.
As a family medicine doctor, Dr. Lemley cares for patients of all ages, from newborns to the elderly.
“I offer screening colonoscopies for age 45+ patients and EGD,” Lemley explained. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy is a test done by a specially trained doctor to examine the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and first part of the small intestine.
“It’s the people and the relationships,” Lemley shared warmly, looking ahead to the strong bonds he will create with the families whose generations of children he will bring into the world.
Yorktown 508 N. Riedel St. Yorktown TX (361) 564-9230 https://www.facebook. com/YorktownMedical-Clinic
