A special thanks to the world’s best doctor

To the editor:

Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson has had a storied career in Mat-Su, received some of the highest awards given by her peers, and is recognized nationally for her work in child abuse prevention and care. She’s also been my personal physician for the last 23 years. I speak for many in her care when I say I’m grieved to lose her as my family doctor when her clinic shuts down in 2015.

It’s not just her clinical expertise or her resolve to end child abuse that makes “Dr. CBJ” special. It starts with her kindness and compassion. Whether she was helping me navigate a complex pregnancy or the frustrations of menopause, she counseled with empathy and concern for me as a person.

When I had my son Noah, whose delivery was fraught with complications, it was like having my doctor and my mother in the room at the same time. She cared for me like I was her family member. It meant the world to me when I was most scared and vulnerable.

Just how great a doctor is CBJ? When I moved to Mat-Su from Kodiak in the middle of my first pregnancy, nurses in Kodiak advised me to call obstetrics at Valley Hospital in Palmer and ask who the best doctor was (because they would know). So I called. “Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson is the best,” I was informed.

Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson was named the Family Physician of the Year by the American Academy of Family Physicians. She was recognized for her work in co-founding The Children’s Place, a child advocacy center that helps treat and advocate for children who have been abused. She helped to create a SCAN Team at Mat-Su Regional — scanning for child abuse and neglect. She continues to advocate for trauma-informed communities and systems across the state and here in Mat-Su while she treats those who are victimized. She does all this with humbleness, grace and kindness.

Thank you Dr. CBJ. You are the world’s best doctor. We are grateful that you call Mat-Su home and that you advocate for our kids and for your patients. We have been touched by your professionalism and clinical expertise — and also by your kindness.

Elizabeth Ripley

Wasilla