Dr. James Walker, known locally for his work at the Harts Health Clinic and Lincoln Primary Care is now working at the Boone Memorial Hospital Medical Clinic, A Rural Health Clinic in Madison.

"We are very pleased Dr. Walker has joined the BMH team. He is an excellent physician and well liked by all of his patients. He is a great fit for Boone Memorial Hospital. We couldn't be happier to have him on staff," said Tommy Mullins, BMH Administrator.

Born in Fairmont, West Virginia Walker graduated from Rivesville High School in 1971 and attended West Virginia University from 1972-1976. After receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from WVU Walker attended the West Virginia Osteopathic School of Medicine in Lewisburg and graduated in 1980 with a DO degree (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery).

Walker completed a rotating internship at Flint Osteopathic Hospital in Michigan until 1981 and shortly after spent two years in Public Health Service in the National Health Service Corp in Hamlin, WV.

"The Service Corp allowed me to fulfill my obligation to the federal government for a scholarship and support while I was in medical school. It was basically a scholarship program," explained Walker.

Walker chose to stay in Hamlin for two additional years as a staff physician in Family Practice at Lincoln Primary Care. He left in 1985 to go into Private Practice in St. Albans, WV. In 1996 he went to work for CAMC Physicians Health Group. He also worked Urgent Care at CAMC from 1999-2004 and went back to a rural health care setting working at Harts Health Center until present.

"I really enjoy working in a rural setting and when the opportunity at BMH was presented I couldn't pass it up. I will be able to work in a clinic setting, which is very similar to my duties while working at Harts, which is rural based family medicine. Plus, my wife Mary works at BMH in the ER so she made me come," he joked.

Walker feels at home at BMH. He grew up in a very small, rural town in WV. "I went to grade school in a one room school house. We had a church, a blacksmith shop, a community building and about 8 houses in the entire town. You can take a boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy," he laughed. "This is what I'm accustomed too," Walker added.

Throughout his life, Walker has not only been seen as a caring, intelligent man but as somewhat of a problem solver.

"When I graduated from high school I really wanted to go into medicine because I really enjoyed being able to help people and solve problems. Unfortunately the Vietnam War was going on at the time and they began the lottery system for the draft so I chose to fly jets. I actually got accepted into the Air Force Academy but the war began to wind down and I turned down the nomination and decided to pursue medical school," said Walker.

Dr. Walker and Mary have been married for 10 years. "We have a son Brandon, 24; I have a step-daughter, Stephanie Toney, 38, step-son, David Miller, 30, and a daughter-in-law, Monica, who is married to David. We also have a beautiful grand daughter, Savannah, who is 9 years old."

Brandon is a ski instructor at Snow Shoe Resort and Stephanie has a Master's Degree in Elementary Education. She teaches at Hugh Dingess Elementary in Logan and is a Professor at Marshall University. David is an Environmental Biologist and works at Croft Chemical, which supplies many of the area mines with resources to clean streams. He is also in a Christian Rock band. Monica has a Master's Degree in Psychology.

In their spare time, Dr. Walker and Mary work on home construction and renovation projects. "I also like to hunt, fish, hike and travel out West. We've taken trips out West almost every year since 1999," said Walker. He is also a member of the Putnam 139 Masonic Lodge. He and Mary have 4 long-haired mix breed dogs.

"Peaches and her three pups," said Mary. "They are our babies," she added.

Mary is originally from Harts Creek. She has worked at BMH since 2004 and prior to that was an ER Nurse at Logan General Hospital for 19 years.

BMH is extremely excited to welcome Dr. Walker to the community and the feeling is quite mutual.

"I'm really looking forward to working here. I want to be able to continue to make myself available to care for my patients and BMH is a great place to do it," Walker concluded.

Dr. Walker is working at the BMH Medical Clinic, A Rural Health Clinic, which is located on the BMH hospital campus. For more information, please call the clinic at 304-369-4250.