Wilburn celebrates 20 years at local clinic
By Donnie A. Lucas
The staff at the Shackelford County Health Clinic recognized nurse practioner Travis Wilburn for 20 years of service to the clinic and the Albany community on Monday.
Wilburn started working for the clinic operated by the hospital district on Feb. 3, 2003, or at least that is pretty close to his start date.
“We found a picture of Travis when he started at the clinic in the old Albany News files on the Portal to Texas History,” hospital administrator Brandi Green said. “The paper came out on Thursday, and Travis thinks he started on Monday of that week.”
Wilburn, who was joined by his family to mark the occasion, was presented a plaque at a small reception on Monday.
The event was also announced on the clinic’s Facebook page with scores of local residents expressing their appreciation for the care he has provided.
When Wilburn started, the clinic employed a series of medical doctors, who also supervised the nurse practitioners as medical directors.
“Time has gone by really fast,” Wilburn said. “When I came, I was with Arlene Loeschen for a while, who was already a nurse practitioner here, and Dr. Jeffries was the medical doctor. Then Dr. Ford was here for several years.”
Dr. Ryan Ford left in May 2010, leaving Wilburn as the lone provider at the clinic.
Dr. Neil Gibson was contracted by the clinic as medical director when the facility was turned back over to the hospital district after Dr. Ford left. Gibson has continued to supervise Wilburn and other nurse practitioners since then while not seeing patients himself.
Wilburn was joined by Fi Calamlam, Sunnie Thiberville, and Segelle Bryan for short periods of time until Claire Ware was employed as a second nurse practitioner in 2016.
While the time has passed quickly, Wilburn says he considers his patients as family.
“I wouldn’t do anything different,” he said. “I have been drawn here, and I try to treat my patients as family. I have enjoyed it so much. Albany is a very good place to be.”
Wilburn lives in Anson with his wife, Kelli and their three children, Tyler 16, Kristen 14, and Jackson 11.
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