January 25, 2024
Dr. Beamer works at Cone Health in Greensboro and also at Triad Adult & Pediatric Medicine (a federally qualified health center in High Point), where as a new physician she serves children, adult, and geriatric patients.
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She grew up in Galax, Virginia, where health care access sometimes didn’t offer what its residents needed. When Dr. Beamer was 11, two of her relatives passed away in part due to what she calls “a lot of health care disparities.” She says, “There weren’t very many treatment options in our town.”
Dr. Beamer’s parents are both teachers and pastors: “That’s our heart of service,” she says. “When I was a kid, we were constantly serving in some capacity thanks to them, whether it was volunteering in nursing homes or visiting widows and children.” Her grandmother also demonstrated this community care: “She was a pillar in our community, was very active in church, was a CNA, and helped make meals for the neighborhood kids in the summertime.”
Dr. Beamer took up similar service when she attended Davidson College. “I was in the Bonner Scholar Program for four years,” Dr. Beamer says. “It was either participating in tutoring for kids, service programs with community gardens, or teaching kids about science in their schools. I’m glad I really got to see the transformational change that can occur.”
After graduation, Dr. Beamer spent time working at the Charlotte headquarters of Teach for America. The year she spent in that role wasn’t for her: “I didn’t quite like the office work.” She began preparing for medical school instead, which is where she encountered Family Medicine during her third year. “I knew that family physicians were my people,” Dr. Beamer says. “To do full-scope Family Medicine, with pediatric and geriatric care all in one, seemed too good to be true, but that’s the reality of the specialty.”
One of Dr. Beamer’s mentors in residency, Dr. Kim Newton, told her that choosing Family Medicine made sense, since she had a passion for both children and elderly patients. “She said that when you think of life as a circle, its beginning and end are very similar,” Dr. Beamer says. “If you love dyadic motherhood, you’ll also really enjoy the aging parent. Those are exactly what I love as a doctor.”
Her other mentors on her way to Family Medicine included Dr. Brenda Latham-Sadler, Dr. Mark Knudson, and Dr. Valerie Brown. They work in Family Medicine but also in other specialties, and as Dr. Beamer pursued full-scope Family Medicine, they all supported and informed her work.
She works two days each week at a federally qualified health center in High Point and then three days each week at Cone Health in Greensboro. Between both roles, Dr. Beamer cares for pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients. “Through these two opportunities I get the breadth of Family Medicine that I was really hoping to practice,” she says. “I’m very grateful for that.”
Dr. Beamer also continues to care about advocacy on behalf of her patients, which includes reforming prior authorizations for her own practices and others around the state. “We get call after call from patients who can’t get their medicine for weeks at a time,” she says. “This advocacy is really important to me.”
Dr. Beamer had joined with her fellow NCAFP members to attend the 2023 NCAFP White Coat Wednesday and voice her concerns directly to state legislators at the General Assembly. These issues continue to matter to her, and Dr. Beamer wants to see them reformed. “They’re so essential for excellent care for patients,” she says.
And where she can between her two jobs, Dr. Beamer takes it easy. “I have to make work-life balance happen,” she says. “You must decide to make sure your cup is full so you can overflow to others. I got that from a sermon online, and I really appreciate it. Also, special shout-out to my husband and my dog for helping me make time for myself, so that I can be fully present for others.”