Cox Barton County’s Medical One Clinic welcomes new nurse practitioner

A longtime registered nurse and a familiar face to Cox Barton County Hospital has taken on a new role.

Elizabeth Harris, nurse practitioner, has joined the Medical One Clinic at 29 NW 1st Lane in Lamar.

“Cox Barton is home because of the people I work with and the connections I have made in this wonderful community,” says Harris. “When the opportunity presented itself, I knew this is where I wanted to be.”

For the past 24 years, Harris has provided quality, compassionate care to hundreds of patients at the hospital and served in a variety of nursing roles, but in the back of her mind, the goal was to become a medical provider.

“I’m excited about family medicine because it’s so different than acute care which is what my role has been since I first came to Cox Barton,” says Harris. “It’s not just treating what is wrong now; it’s about identifying and preventing future health issues, and that's a new challenge I’m going to enjoy.”

Early in life, Harris, a Lockwood, Mo., native, completed two semesters of college and decided to take a leap of faith by signing up for an emergency medical technician training course. She had found her career path in health care, so she made the decision to switch her major from communications to nursing because she loved working in the emergency room and formed enduring bonds with the staff.

For Harris, she still had one last goal she needed to achieve.

“It was difficult to return to college because now I had a family to juggle and obtaining a master's degree in nursing seemed like a long road ahead, especially attending school part-time,” says Harris. “I just had to keep focused and remember to look toward the finish line.”

Over the years, Harris has witnessed firsthand a change and shift of culture at Cox Barton.

“I love that the hospital has such high standards of care,” Harris says. “It is the way health care should be.”

Harris is looking forward to providing her patients with the ability to be healthy and doing what is right for them by taking the time to listen to what they need.

In her free time, Harris enjoys reading and spending time with friends and family.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 417-681-5266 or visit coxhealth.com.