Shannon Taylor, Associate Editor
Martin Medical Center (MMC) has been a staple for wellness care in Martin for 57 years and
wants to continue to be the communities number one place to go for all their medical needs. Dr.
O.K. Smith, Jr and Dr. Enos Thurmond founded the clinic in May of 1966 and, according to their
website the founders saw a need and their mission was “to improve health care and the treatment
of illness in this community.”
In 2018 MMC became certified as a Rural Health Clinic which Hazlewood said is a way for
them to work with Medicare to take better care of the population in rural areas. According to
their brochure, “Rural health clinics are located in a rural, medically underserved area that
furnishes services with one or more physicians, physician assistants, and/or nurse practitioners
who are engaged in providing primary medical care and outpatient health services.”
MMC provides services for primary care—acute and chronic—phlebotomy services, extremity
and chest x-rays, EKG testing, minor laceration repairs, minor surgical procedures, pre-
employment physicals, DOT examinations, drug screens, hospital care, nursing home care,
wellness checkups and much more.
Administrator of MMC, Tammy Hazlewood, has been with the center for 34 years now and said
that she loves what she does. Hazlewood said most of the employees are long-term employees
and have been at the facility for numerous years so there’s always a familiar face when people
come in. “I started out as the cashier and my eagerness to learn landed me in the Administrator’s
position,” Hazlewood said.
“Primary care is the nucleus of healthcare for people. That’s where you start and your Primary
Care provider works with you to incorporate the other providers that help manage your
healthcare,” Hazlewood said.
Physicians at MMC include Dr. James W. Shore and Dr. Susan Lowry and non-physician
providers include Keely Vaughan PA-C and Angie Cursey FNP. Hazlewood said that MMC is
always looking to expand with more providers.
MMC participates in most insurance plans. They are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday. They can be found at www.martinmedicalctr.com or on Facebook.