Old barn is new ‘Coho Family Medicine’

WASILLA - On the inside, the newly remodeled Coho Family Medicine, 7200 E. Valley Cir., looks more like your grandmother's cozy living room than a doctor's office waiting room. From the outside, the office looks much like it did in 1935 when John Stahler built the barn.

When Dr. Steve and Heather Parker moved their family to Palmer from Michigan three years ago, Steve said he remembers seeing the barn at that time and thinking it would make a great home. He said he was sad to learn the barns are set up to house businesses, not families.

But after seeing patients at Providence Alaska Medical Center just across the Parks Highway for the past three years, Parker got his wish.

"Now I've kind of moved in," he said of locating his new family practice clinic in the historic barn. The clinic opens its doors at its new location Wednesday.

"In three days," said Tirzah, 6, who was at the business "helping" her parents get ready for the big day. She took a break to read a book with her dad on a sofa near the decorative gas heat stove in the lobby.

Dr. Parker said it's no accident that the waiting room, exam rooms and even the clinic's bathroom look more like a home than a doctor's office.

"We were trying to make it comfortable," he said. "It's nice to have a workspace you feel comfortable in, too."

A sprinkling of period antiques and quilts add to the homey feel. The barn's ceiling is unfinished and hints at Stahler's hard work, care and craftsmanship nearly 80 years prior.

"The best way to preserve anything is to actually use it," Dr. Parker said.

Doug Olson is the barn's owner. He bought the barn and moved it to its current site in 2002.

Dr. Parker said the location is perfect for his current patients and also offers easy access for people who commute to work in Anchorage. For now, he said the office will be open from 1 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

"We're accepting patients of all ages and with all types of insurance," he said.

Existing patients also will recognize the familiar face of Dr. Parker's medical assistant, Kelly Currie-Babb, who made the move to the new clinic with him. The two have worked together for the past two years, but Currie-Babb said she has 23 years of mostly family practice experience.

Dr. Parker received his training at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and at Fort Bragg, and has worked in family medicine for about 15 years, but this is his first time in private practice.

"It's been quite a learning experience," he said.

The Parkers home school their seven children - Chayna, 19, Nate, 16, Avery, 12, Tirzah, 6, Benjamin, 4, Jack, 2 and Joseph, 3 months - and are active in the Wasilla First Baptist Church and in local sports.

For more information, call 746-5577 or visit cohofamilymedicine.com.

Contact Heather A. Resz at heather.resz@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.