The Kansas Academy of Family Physicians (KAFP)  selected John Atkin, III, MD as the 2008 Kansas Family Physician of the Year. Dr. Atkin was nominated by peers, patients and community members, and was selected by a KAFP committee of peers. Dr. Atkin has served the Yates Center community for 46 years.

"This is a tremendous honor for Dr. Atkin and confirms what we have always known–that he is an extraordinary physician and a pillar in the community," says Coffey Health System CEO Dennis George. "There is nobody more deserving of this honor than Dr. Atkin, and we are truly privileged to have him as our colleague, mentor, physician, and friend."

Dr. Atkin was recognized as the 2008 Kansas Family Physician of the Year at the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians (KAFP) Annual Meeting & Scientific Session and 60th Anniversary Celebration on June 6, 2008 at the Sheraton Hotel, in Overland Park, Kan. He was also nominated for the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Family Physician of the Year Award. 

"I knew I wanted to practice in a small town. I began by contacting the Chamber of Commerce organizations in each state to determine which rural communities needed a family doctor. This resulted in over 600 replies! I further narrowed it down by using the 1960 census to tell me which rural communities were thriving. Well, long story, short -- Yates Center filled the bill!" explains Dr. Atkin on how he landed right back in Kansas.

Dr. Atkin and his wife, Pat, have called Yates Center home for 46 years. They purchased a historic building on the city square in 1985. They worked to turn it into a wellness center for the community.  After completion, they gave the building and its contents to the city.  It was only fitting that the public reception celebrating Dr. Atkin's award was held in that same building.

Evelyn Hunt writes, "He came to our town, made it his home and cared for not only the people but the town itself: the school, the churches, the recreation, and resotoration. He took 20 years of his life and financed, restored and saved a precious building on the town square, a building I remember as a child. Restored it and presented it back to the city as a gift."

Heritage brings unique perspective to medicine

 Dr. Atkin is also known as his Osage name: Ni-Ka-Mo-Ko. He is part Osage Indian and was raised on the Osage reservation in Oklahoma, where he was taught to respect his Native American way of life.

"I was the first member of the tribe to graduate from a medical school," Dr. Atkin notes. Upon graduation, he was officially named a Medicine Man. "I think there’s a stressful, emotional state of mind in people who are ill, and my Osage background helps me to understand and care for them," Dr. Atkin explains.

His tribal relationships have created a determined attitude and patient persistence that is above ordinary. Perhaps because of that enduring persistence, coupled with his acceptance of responsibility for their care, the bond between Dr. Atkin and his patients is strong.

William Linde, a patient, writes: "Dr. Atkin is always at a beckoned call. On numerous occasions he has come to our home to minister to the needs of my wife and myself. He once climbed into the back of the ambulance to assist the ambulance crew on a drowning patient. The child lives today because of the treatment and caring of our ambulance crew and Dr. Atkin."

One thing that all patients value is the ability of the physician to treat the patient as a person, with the unique ability to master both science and life skills. Yates Center pharmacist G.J. Sedlacek, writes, "John has demonstrated a quality I have long believed in: that ‘healing’ is much more than just the administration of medical knowledge and/or expertise. It is caring, listening, and feeling, the human factors so important to the overall success of patient care. I have experienced this both as a patient and also through others in the course of my practice."

Influencing the next generation

Physician Assistant Sarah Nuessen writes, "To say I learned a lot is an understatement. I truly feel that during those couple of days a week, I was learning from the best. Today I am very lucky to call myself Dr. Atkin’s physician assistant. I continue to grow more and more each day from his advice and teaching. I have also gotten to know the man behind the white coat. His integrity, compassion, generousness, and devotion to family, community and medicine are characteristics I strive to achieve one day."