Children's Clinic Welcomes New Pediatrician
Contact: Mardi Ford
There is one more reason to trust your children’s health care to the professionals at the Grande Ronde Hospital Children’s Clinic.
Earlier this month Melindres “Meldy” Lim, M.D. joined fellow physicians Kevin Grayson, M.D. and Michael Hetrick, M.D.
As a pediatrician, Dr. Lim says her style is to engage parents in “joint advocacy” to keep their children healthy.
“After all, who knows their child better than they do? I never brush off a parent’s concern. Parents are with their children than anyone else. They know when something is wrong,” she says.
Dr. Lim is enthusiastic about practicing in a smaller community. She likes taking plenty of time with her patients. She encourages lots of questions.
“I tell parents there are no stupid questions—especially for first time parents,” she explains, adding, “And even for those parents with four kids—every child is different. What worked for one may not work for another.”
She believes parenting is a combination of 90 percent instinct and 10 percent common sense.
Dr. Lim comes to La Grande from New Jersey, where she has been in private practice for 14 years. Prior to that she was on staff at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center of New York, where she also served as Chief Resident of Pediatrics during her residency training. She also spent time working in a chronic care facility for children with diseases like cystic fibrosis.
“That was a sad job. It really made me feel lucky to go home after work and see my own healthy kids running around like crazy,” she says.
Dr. Lim and her husband, Rodrigo, a neurologist who will also join Grande Ronde Hospital later this year, have been married for 21 years. They have three children; a 19-year old son in college, a 15-year old daughter and another son who is 5.
With time for her own family at the top of her priority list, Dr. Lim was intrigued with quality of life afforded in a smaller, rural community. In addition, after the rigors and headaches of private practice, she is looking forward to the opportunities of working for the Hospital’s pediatric clinic.