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 With so many present, fewer than half of the
guests on hand stood behind the ribbon with Dr. Hauter, but that
group represented people who have been important to Dr. Hauter
throughout the process of opening the new office.
Standing with Dr. Drew were his wife Dr. Marcia Hauter, daughter
Emily Wilkins with husband Evan and baby daughter Parker, the
Hauter’s son Ben, Dr. Dru’s mother Sara and his sister Sally Hauter.
Also joining him were Mr. and Mrs. Paul Short, the owners of the
office building, Lincoln Mayor Seth Goodman, and Logan County Fair
Queen Skye Kretzinger.
Included in the crowd there to witness the ribbon cut were several
friends of the Hauters’. Also in attendance on Saturday were office
holder and candidate Judge Jonathan Wright; other candidates -
Bethany Rademaker for circuit clerk and Chris Sprague for coroner;
Lincoln City Clerk Peggy Bateman; local business owner and Castle
Manor Assisted Living Director Marcia Cook.
The ribbon cut was led by Nila Smith with Karen Hargis and Jim
Youngquist of Lincoln Daily News.
Smith welcomed guests and congratulated Dr. Hauter on his new
venture. She reminded guests that the Hauters’ are long time members
of the community who have been involved in many events and
activities within the community including the former Together for
Lincoln movement and the formation of the Lincoln Futbol Club and
the city soccer complex development.
Smith said that Dr. Hauter’s story reminded her of the farmer who
retires and takes up gardening as a hobby. While always a doctor,
after retirement he chose to practice medicine as his ‘retirement
job.” She also noted to those present that the practice is unique
and will offer new wellness opportunities for those who have very
high deductibles in their health insurance or no health insurance at
all, and that the office will be very good for young families with
children because of the low monthly rate for family care. She
concluded that what Dr. Hauter was doing was bringing a great
service to many members of the community.
Dr. Hauter was then called on to speak. He explained that after
retirement he received calls from friends and family who were
struggling to navigate through medical situations and needed his
advice and help. He said that it irritated him that so many people
had to work so hard to get the care they needed.
[to top of second column] |
 Dr. Hauter then gave credit to his son Ben who
brought the Direct Care program to his dad’s attention. He said that
as the two researched it all, his first impression was that it was a
program that was too good to be true, but as he studied and learned
more, he came to the realization that this was the kind of medical
care the community needed and he wanted to offer.
Lastly, Mayor Goodman was called on to speak. Goodman
noted that Dr. Hauter’s new office is actually the office where
Goodman began his real estate career, working for Doris and
Associates. Goodman went on to say that he was happy to see Dr.
Hauter return to practice in Lincoln and to offer a service that is
needed in the community. He wished Hauter much success in his new
venture.
The group behind the ribbon then stood for a posed picture.
The crowd then helped out by calling off the tradition
“three-two-one-snip” as Dr. Hauter snipped the ribbon on his new
business.
After the cut, guests were invited to enjoy lunch with the Hauters
and spend time talking with the doctor about his new practice.
There were also handouts available for everyone to take that
described the Direct Care program, offered price quotes and also
outlined some of the medications that are available directly from
the doctor at the time of the visit.
Currently, Dr. Hauter’s office is open by appointment with hours
varying depending on the need. Those who wish to contact Dr. Hauter
to talk more about the program, establish a membership or make an
appointment to see the doctor may do so by calling 217-632-6236.
[Nila Smith]
Dr. Dru Hauter of Central Illinois Direct Care to host ribbon cut
for new office today
Getting the kind of medical care you need and deserve in central
Illinois |
