Harbor Health Family Medical Clinic

I was a long-time patient of Brandy, ever since she worked at Wellspring. She has always been incredibly accessible, patient, and, as someone who has had a long-standing debilitating fear of any medical environments and providers, she was the first to make me feel safe, heard, and tell me that I am allowed to advocate for myself and the care I am comfortable with. I have always spoken highly of Brandy and referred several friends to Harbor Health over the years. I've always had a great experience with the front office staff, and they're just as lovely as Brandy. That's why, unfortunately, it pains me to say that I am a former patient. My most recent Telehealth appointment was a routine check-in about medications and chronic pain I had mentioned a couple of months ago. Brandy had been temporarily out of the office, but I had made this appointment a month prior with that knowledge. In the meantime, the pain I had been experiencing started affecting my day-to-day life, and since I knew I wouldn't be able to be seen in-person for a bit, I decided to see another practitioner in town that I had heard great things about who was able to see me within a few days. I was able to get the ball rolling on some diagnoses for what has been affecting me, but I made it clear I had a regular primary care provider with Brandy and was happy with her. This was brought up in my Telehealth appointment with Brandy, of course, to fill her in on what I had been doing while I waited for our follow-up. But unlike the consistent care I was used to, she was uncharacteristically passive-aggressive and distant. At first, I just chalked it up to her recovering from her time out of the office for medical reasons. But then she quickly questioned if I was transferring care to the other practitioner I saw, saying she "doesn't typically work with other providers locally" and that it was uncommon for people to have two primary care providers because it makes things super complicated when transferring records and who is in charge of what. I was confused, as I had very clearly stated that I was only seeing this other person for the chronic pain while she was out, not primary care. She mentioned that I could have reached out to her, although I was under the impression she would be out for a while. She corrected me and said she had only been out for at most a week, and had been seeing patients virtually for a couple weeks, but I explained that I was told the soonest time to meet was virtually a month after I called (which was fine, as I understood that life happens, even for our doctors). She then said her front office had emailed me to set up an appointment about a month prior and asked if anything changed during that time, to which I confirmed that I was incredibly busy, emailed back, and rescheduled as soon as I could. Brandy also suggested I could have seen the other practitioner in the clinic, Amber, but the multiple friends who I had referred who had experiences with Amber had told me that while she was very pleasant and nice for the most part, she had also made them uncomfortable and pressured into certain tests and procedures, so I did not want to see Amber (though I didn't mention it during my appointment as I didn't want to be rude). The tone came off a little unprofessional, almost as if she was upset that I went to see another provider; she made me feel as though I had done something very wrong by just getting care somewhere that wasn't Harbor Health. She was never outright mean, but needless to say, I was incredibly disappointed. I decided shortly after our appointment to transfer care elsewhere by letting Brandy know via email. She responded quickly, with a message of, " Thank you. Best of luck to you." Perhaps I read too much into it, but I don't exactly feel great being wished luck with my health while dealing with chronic pain as I seek care elsewhere... If you're looking for consistent primary care and women's health, I have nothing but great things to say, but I regretfully felt I had to move on due to this experience.

I’ve been going to Amber Dorrough for the past several years for my primary healthcare needs. Amber is extremely easy to talk to, compassionate and clearly cares about her patients and the role she plays in their lives. I’ve recommended a lot of family and friends to her practice because of her great bedside manner and the way she so easily connects to her patients. All of the other people I know who that see Amber have always had nothing but positive things to say about her. She’s kept me in the loop on any testing results and always explains them thoroughly to me, which I've really appreciated. As someone who also works in a private healthcare practice, I always value the patient experience when seeking out my own healthcare. I cannot say enough good things about Amber and the Harbor Health team, and I always look forward to my visits at their office!

I have been going to Amber Dorrough’s office for the past year for medical weight loss and I am very disappointed with my experiences. I found Amber to be lacking in empathy and compassion, and her bedside manner is atrocious to say the least. As soon as we met, I could tell she was hesitant toward me (not saying much, awkward body language, attitude, etc.). I almost felt judged which is extremely shocking for what is supposed to be a professional prescriber. During my appointments, I felt that my concerns were not taken seriously, and that she seemed indifferent to my situation. It felt like I was just another number rather than a patient in need of care. I would ask her questions that she had no intention of answering in a professional manner. She kept me in the dark constantly without communication about many things which caused lots of bumps in the road. I would dread going to see her for my follow ups every other month. Losing all this weight has been a very important thing for my health, and extremely emotional for me and I felt like I got zero support from my doctor. I deserve more as a patient. Communication is key in healthcare, and I believe that patients deserve to be treated with kindness and compassion. Sadly, this was not my experience with Amber. I wish I hope that she can work on improving her bedside manner and showing more empathy toward her patients in the future.

I haven’t had had an appointment yet. I have been on the waiting list for a long time. I knew it would take a long time but finding medical care for a woman in this town is impossible. I’ve struggled with my weight for 6 years. Since my son was born. I was a size 2 and went to a size 8. I spent thousands on gym memberships. Thousands on vitamins. Supplements. Diets. ANYTHING to help me get back to the way I was before. Nothing helped. Doctors I went to always told me I just don’t try hard enough. The most a doctor has done is test my thyroid. I’ve had that done 12 times. There is nothing more disappointing than killing yourself trying to lose weight, and having doctors tell you that you are not trying hard enough? I’m like ok fine. I will try harder. I starved myself for 3 months. Worked out 4 hours a day. I finally lost 20 pounds! I decided to stop starving myself and go back to a good, and healthy normal life. Two months later I gained all the weight back. I NEED HELP. I was told by a friend who got help for her weight there that they are great. But I can’t seem to get an appointment. I called and told them I’m on the waiting list and have been for a long time and wanted to know where I was at on it and they took my name and number and said they would pass it to the person in charge. I was like um ok I guess. I was just wanting to know where I was at on the list. Surprisingly I never get contacted. I have tried to call back since but I can’t reach them and I leave message. Again I get it I’m on a waitlist. But if the lack of contact and information is this bad and I’m not even a patient yet… how much better could it be if I do become a patient. Anyway. Starving and working out 4 hours a day worked for me. I’m just going back to that. Because the only person I can rely on is myself. I’ve been to 6 different clinics in town. I GIVE UP.

Top notch clinic and providers...every one cares, they know your name and listen and get to the bottom of things. You know how to reach them and they are very responsive.

Had my first visit with Amber @ Harbor Health today. I was very anxious and very nervous, but Amber was so understanding and supportive. She listened to my fears and even set my nerves at ease when I had a little crying spell. Her caring nature was much appreciated. I am actually looking forward to my next visit, which is not something I've said about a medical visit in a very long time, and learning more about the support Amber and Harbor Health offers! Thank you!

Amber and the entire staff are so kind and welcoming. Amber takes time to really know her patients and help solve any issues/concerns they have. I always feel like I am talking to a "friend" who is a medical expert! Harbor Health is a blessing to our small community!

Brandy takes her time with her patients and really listens. She is exceptional!