Two New Medical Providers Now Serving The Rural Community

At the beginning of October, the Glasgow Clinic welcomed Dr. Keenan Kuckler as a provider, whose primary specialty is family medicine / obstetrics. Though Dr. Kuckler may be new to the clinic as a provider, many may recognize her as she previously served under Dr. Millard as a medical student.

At the beginning of November, Sugg Primary Clinic welcomed Nurse Practitioner Paige Stanton to their staff, joining Nurse Practitioner and owner Dawn Sugg. Stanton, a 2010 graduate of Opheim School, performed her clinicals under Sugg and decided to join the team after completing school.

Dr. Keenan Kuckler

Dr. Kuckler is originally from Billings, Mont., and still has family in that area, making Glasgow a perfect place to work and raise her family. After graduating high school, she attended Rocky Mountain College in Billings, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She then attended medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Wash., as part of their rural underserved program called TRUST, Targeted Rural-Underserved Track program. This program to recruits and trains more medical students for careers in primary care and high-need specialists. UW medical students in the track prepare to serve in rural and medically underserved areas in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) regions.

As part of the program, Kuckler worked under Dr. Millard as a medical student, first sporadically during the Summer of 2016 and while on breaks from school, and then in a more formal capacity from September 2017 to April of 2018. She also completed her residency in Casper, Wyo., at the University of Wyoming Family Medicine. She is affiliated with the Institute for the Advancement of Breastfeeding and Lactation Education, American Academy of Family Physicians and JAMA, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association.

As a now full-time provider for the Glasgow Clinic, Dr. Kuckler is a general practitioner, seeing patients of all ages and health journeys, including obstetrics, C-sections, birth control, vasectomies, minor office procedures, annual exams as well as getting back on the path of health. She admits her favorite things about the medical field is preventative care. "I love when people have their annuals dedicated. I also enjoy helping people with tobacco cessation and I'll also be providing breastfeeding services, which I plan to get board certified in after a few years," Dr. Kuckler explained.

Though she is now involved in the full spectrum of rural health care, that wasn't always in Dr. Kuckler's plan. "I went to med school to be an OBGYN," she reflected. "Dr. Smith was here when I was doing those rotations up here and she took me under her wing. Then halfway through, I was like 'Dr. Millard I kind of like family practice,' and I just couldn't decide. Then my last week here, I hopped ships. I just really loved doing everything. I love the variety of each patient I see every day in the clinic but I also get to still go to different locations and do ER stuff and OB stuff."

After completing schooling and working under Dr. Millard, she decided to come back to Glasgow to fulfill her career. "It's the air, it's the sky, it's the water. It's the little things that are different. The biggest thing though is the people, specifically here," explained Dr. Kuckler on why she came back to Glasgow to serve instead of venturing to other areas of the country. "I just fell badly in love with Glasgow while I was here. The community is so warm and welcoming. Our rural Montana is different than larger cities but it's even more special here. It's just the commitment in Glasgow to taking care of their own is just so warm, inviting and special."

When she isn't serving the community, her and her husband enjoy spending time together and with their three-year-old child, two dogs and a cat. She enjoys crocheting, water coloring, hiking, camping and hunting, which she is looking forward to having more opportunities of now that her family has established themselves in Glasgow.

Dr. Kuckler is currently seeing patients at the Glasgow Clinic. Appointments can be made Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., by contacting 406-228-3400.

Paige Stanton – FNP-C

The medical field was not always on Paige (Komrosky) Stanton's life plan when she was born and raised in Opheim. After graduating from Opheim School in 2010, she attended culinary school, but then decided to move back to the Hi-Line, cooking at the Elks Lodge in Glasgow, bartended at various establishments and then worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA).

She credits her nephew for her medical field journey, as she was able to be a part of his birth, which allowed her to truly reflect on what she wanted to do with her life. After his birth, she applied to nursing school, however her mom, who was a CNA for over 20 years, stated if her parents were going to help with schooling, then Stanton would have to become a CNA first. "That was the best thing she could have ever done for me, that's for sure. So I went to be a CNA at Valley View for about a year and then I got into nursing school at Miles City," explained Stanton. After two years of schooling, she graduated with her ASN in nursing and then worked at the Advanced Care Hospital in Billings for one year, and then moved closer to home, working at the hospital in Wolf Point, where she was able to obtain a wide variety of experience including emergency room, med surg and OB.

Currently living in Jordan with her husband and two kids, Stanton has been traveling for work since about 2016, and decided to continue her education as a way to eventually not travel as much for work. "I wanted something that was going to keep me in Jordan but also keep me challenged. In Jordan, being a nurse there is just not where my heart is. I really went back to school so I could eventually not travel so much," Stanton reflected. "My end goal has always been to start my own clinic in Jordan."

She received her Masters in Nursing at Walden University in Minnesota, completing her clinical hours with Dawn Sugg at Sugg Primary Clinic, Dr. Maya at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, and with a pediatrician in Miles City, Dr. Griffin. She admits she is really drawn towards women's health specifically those ages 12 through 30. "I feel like we all kind of need a little more love in those years," stated Stanton. "And just to help teenage girls get through all of that. Realize there is a the light at the end of the day."

Since seeing patients at Sugg Primary Clinic since the beginning of November, Stanton has seen a wide variety of patients and their various health journeys. She enjoys the alternative mindset that is the philosophy of Sugg's Clinic. "That's why I fell in love with how Dawn practices. We are really trying to figure out the best route for the patient and not necessarily the mainstream," said Stanton. "It's a little bit more functional medicine. It's about keeping healthy people healthy instead of just treating the sick people."

When Stanton is not practicing medicine, she enjoys spending time with her family specifically coyote hunting together and gardening. She admits that she has been in school for so long, she has put so much of her life into medicine and the medical field. She does fill her time being involved with her church, helping with events such as Bible Studies.

Paige Stanton is currently seeing patients Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Sugg Primary Clinic in Glasgow. Appointments can be scheduled by contacting 406-228-8013 and oftentimes same day appointments are available.