Mercy Stoddard welcomes new primary care physician

DEXTER — Mercy is now able to care for more patients in Stoddard County

and surrounding areas with the addition of a new primary care physician.

Dr. Natasha Ware has joined Mercy Primary Care – Stoddard in Dexter, Mercy officials said in a press release. Ware comes from a diverse health care background, having worked in various roles including emergency room registration, switchboard operations, phlebotomy and home health, all of which provided different perspectives on caring for patients, they shared.

Ware earned an associate degree from Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff and a bachelor’s in biomedical sciences from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. She then earned her medical degree from American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Sint Maarten before completing her family medicine internship and residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences – Texarkana.

“My passion for family medicine stems from recognizing the significant lack of access to quality health care and a deep desire to give back to the underserved rural community,” Ware said. “I’m looking forward to providing compassionate, patient-centered care through education and shared decision-making to enhance the quality of life in every stage of aging.”

Though she was born overseas on a military base, Ware spent most of her childhood in Southeast Missouri, graduating high school from a small town near the Castor River.

“Throughout college and medical school, I’d traveled and lived in several areas of the country only to find myself drawn back to the comforts of rural Southeast Missouri – my home,” she said.

Ware enjoys spending time with her husband, a superintendent at an area school district, and their three children, twin 17-year-oldsand a 6-year-old. They cherish their busy lives together, which are filled with sports, school commitments and outdoor activities like fishing, hunting, gardening, hiking and camping.

To schedule an appointment with Ware at Mercy Primary Care – Stoddard, call 573-624-7575. The primary care clinic is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.