Maternity
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Delivery Stats
Sound Family Medicine doctors delivered 606 of Good Samaritan's 2089 babies for the fiscal year 2007. Twenty-nine percent were SFM babies!
Docs Who Deliver
What makes your delivery so special is the personal relationship that we develop with you, our patient. Since we offer family-oriented birthing experiences, support partners are welcome at prenatal visits. The whole family is invited to hear the baby’s heart beat. We help you decide how to make this momentous occasion memorable.
After delivery we also see your baby at two weeks for its first well-baby checkup and your six-week checkup and beyond.
Puyallup Maternity Physicians
Marc Aversa, MD
Nancy Grubb, MD
Jennifer Knowles, MD
Kevin Taggart, MD
Christopher Young, MD
Bonney Lake Maternity Physicians
Julie Komarow, MD
Susan McDonald, MD
Daren Mealer, MD
Sunrise Maternity Physician
Darin Blackburn, MD
Marc Aversa, MD
Family medicine benefits both patients and their
doctors: You get more personalized, tailored health care; and I get the
satisfaction and personal fulfillment of caring for families over months
or years. In fact, I chose family medicine because I enjoy caring for all
generations -- a child, a young couple during a pregnancy, right up to
grandparents.
I grew up an hour north of Edmonds and I've worked at SFM since finishing a family medicine residency at Valley Medical Center in Renton in 1999. My family and I have enjoyed joining the Puyallup community. My wife and I are busy raising our three young children, which includes shuttling them to activities through the YMCA.
I believe it is important that we take care of ourselves through fitness and healthy eating. You may see me running on the streets of South Hill. I enjoy discussing exercise with my patients, whether they are beginning a walking program, cycling, swimming or marathon training.
Medicine is changing. Most patients notice the difference right
away in our office -- computer charts, printed prescriptions instead of
handwritten. Some of these changes are important for patient safety,
while others are about moving the center of the health care encounter from
the physician to the patient. For example, I try to be available to my
patients the same day they call for an appointment. People come to
us from many walks of life. My role is to advise. This usually
means laying out some options and helping patients select what will work
for them. This is a different model compared to a decade ago when
the doctor finished the visit and told you what to do. But what has
not changed is the value of a strong relationship with your doctor.
As my practice has grown, so has my understanding of my patients’ values.
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Darin Blackburn, MD
I joined Sound Family Medicine in 2002 after
completing my residency training. I have a diverse past including three
years as a Cavalry Scout in the US Army following high school and several
summers fighting forest fires while in college. I attended the University
of Colorado School of Medicine before moving to Washington. I greatly
enjoy living in western Washington, where my wife and I can be near many
of our family members. My favorite aspect of family medicine is being
able to treat patients of all ages with diverse medical needs. I can
provide care in the areas of pediatrics, adult medicine, geriatrics, and
obstetrics, often within the course of a single day.
One of the most important functions I serve for my
patients is as a teacher, educating them about their individual medical
conditions and directing them to outside sources of information. Patients
come to us from diverse backgrounds, and I value the wisdom and knowledge
my patients share with me about our community, our world and life in all
its phases.
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Nancy Grubb, MD
Welcome to our practice! I am Nancy Grubb, one of
the part-time physicians, and have worked here since 1996. I enjoy seeing
patients of all ages and providing obstetrical care. My husband, Mark
Grubb, is a pediatrician in Puyallup, and we have 2 young daughters. We
enjoy hiking, cycling and gardening and we are both involved in a
Christian outreach ministry for teens, Young Life. I look forward to
caring for you and your family.
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Jennifer Knowles, MD
I
joined Sound Family Medicine’s Puyallup office in September, 2004. This
has really been an exciting move for me and my family, since I grew up
in Puyallup (RHS class of 1983). Prior to coming to SFM, I practiced
family medicine for 10 years in Renton. I enjoy every aspect of family
medicine, from maternity care and pediatrics, to caring for middle aged
and elderly patients.
During my leisure time, I enjoy running, backpacking, and orienteering
(an obscure sport of cross-country navigation with map and compass!). My
husband and I also enjoy playing with our son and daughter, including
shuttling them to sports and school activities. My family and I are very
happy to be back in the Puyallup community. I look forward to meeting
you and caring for your family.
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Julie Komarow, MD
In joining Sound Family Medicine, Dr. Julie Komarow has come full-circle. She began her career in family medicine 21 years ago with Everett Family Practice Center. After the closure of EFPC in 2001, she found herself working for a corporate owned clinic in Covington for the past five years.
The opportunity to join SFM, and return to an environment in which the bottom line is excellent patient care, proved irresistible. “I wanted to go back to a physician owned and run practice, providing full-spectrum family medicine – that’s where I came from and where I belong,” Dr. Komarow emphasizes.
With Sound Family Medicine, Dr. Komarow will provide family and hospital medicine, with a special emphasis on obstetrics and preventive care. As a breast cancer survivor, Dr. Komarow has a personal perspective on the value of heading off problems before they become serious. Patients who select her as their provider need to plan on seeing her on at least a yearly basis, she says.
The daughter of an Air Force pilot, she inherited a love for speed and has given it an outlet competing in sprint and endurance races with local and national sports car clubs. She has driven BMWs and Porsches in races all over the US. “Just don’t call me ‘Camaro’, she says, semi-jokingly. “I’m a German car kind of woman.” (Her name is pronounced ‘Comma-Row’.)
At the opposite end of the speed and noise spectrum, she and her husband also own six llamas, who behave more like big dogs than livestock. Smart and affectionate, each has its own personality. She adds that the llamas ride nonchalantly in the family van when heading out on a camping/hiking trip.
Dr. Komarow grew up all over the U.S., but has lived in the Pacific Northwest since high school. She knew that Washington state was where she wanted to live and practice medicine. “Family medicine specialists are much appreciated in Washington’s medical community,” Dr. Komarow says, and the partnership between primary care providers and specialists provides patients with care that’s both efficient and effective. The respect other physicians hold for Dr. Komarow is evident in the fact that, for the last 15+ years, she has represented the state as a trustee for the Washington State Medical Association and as a delegate to the American Medical Association.
Dr. Komarow looks forward to serving her existing patients, as well as new patients, in the Bonney Lake area beginning later this month.
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Susan McDonald, MD
I am a longtime Washington resident who grew up in the South Sound area,
and still have tons of family nearby. I attended Washington schools
and graduated from UW Medical School in 1994. After first practicing in
Auburn, I joined SFM in July 2003. Full-spectrum family medicine has
allowed me to establish strong family relationships by providing maternity
care for moms, caring for babies and children, and even their
grandparents. My own young children keep me busy and in touch with
the concerns that all parents have for our children. In my spare
time, I enjoy exercising, scrapbooking and spending time with family.
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Daren Mealer, MD
Although I was raised in Central Texas, it wasn’t until I first ventured to the Puget Sound area as an ROTC midshipman during college that I knew where I wanted to call home. The laid-back attitude and eclectic style of the Northwest reminded me of Austin, but the mountains and rivers offered new territory to pursue the road biking, kayaking and rock climbing I enjoy.
After many years of medical education and service in two military branches, I am finally here to stay. I look forward immensely to partnering with individuals and families in a comprehensive approach to medical care. I enjoy the art of medicine, in talking with my patients, in explaining therapeutic options, and in fostering plans for healthy lifestyle changes at any stage in life.
I practice full scope family medicine from obstetrics to geriatrics. I have been an active duty physician at hospitals in the United States as well as in the Middle East and Central Asia. Although I am a board certified family physician, I have also worked in Internal Medicine, Pediatric, and Emergency Services.
Because my Russian-born wife is currently serving as a linguist overseas, daily letter writing is my current primary hobby. But in my leisure I also find some time to enjoy bicycling, rock-climbing, kayaking, participating in medical missions, reading British literature, and promoting educational opportunities for children.
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Kevin Taggart, MD
I believe a sense of humor can heal your heart and mind and there are
studies to confirm it. I try to bring a gentle and natural sense of humor
to my family medicine practice. Like our other doctors, I care for all
ages of patients, and I have an emphasis on obstetrical care, internal
medicine, and pediatrics. As a sports enthusiast, I also have training in
sports medicine, and help out in the community as the team physician for
the Puyallup High football team. I enjoy all spectator sports, and
spending time with my wife and two young children.
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Christopher Young, MD
Once upon
a time, doctors made all the decisions for their patients. Today, patients
expect to share in the decision-making process, and I believe that it’s
important for doctors to encourage and respect their wishes. I provide
whole family care and preventative medicine with special interest in
obstetrics, pediatrics, and minor office surgery. I am fluent in Thai as
well as English. I enjoy having my extended family in the Puget Sound
area, and am enjoying coaching my children’s soccer teams.
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©2007 SOUND FAMILY MEDICINE | LAST UPDATED: 03/30/2008