Residents of rural eastern Santa Cruz County have a new option for healthcare. Desert Streams Family Practice held an open house last month to introduce their new clinic located at 3124 Hwy 83, Suite B, in Sonoita. Family nurse practitioner Cynthia “Cigi” Smith, MSN, FNP-C, and her husband, Marc Smith, RN, will be available for physicals, wellness exams, adult and pediatric sick visits, suturing, treatment of minor orthopedic injuries, and trigger point injections for neck and back pain. Cigi Smith also specializes in bio-identical hormone therapy for women, which she believes is a more effective therapy than synthetic hormones.
Cigi has 20 years’ experience as a nurse, and has worked in pediatric ICU, emergency rooms, in GI labs, and was a hospital supervisor at Northwest/North Valley hospital. She hopes to tie in with the local 911 system and would be available for stitching and minor injuries, potentially saving patients from having to make emergency room visits. “Overall, my approach is holistic,” she says. “I do use evidence-based medicine from both western and integrative practices.”
Marc worked in emergency medical services for ten years before becoming a nurse in 1990. He has worked in emergency rooms, in ICU, and was a flight nurse for eight years. The couple are planning to move to Sonoita. “We wanted out of Tucson,” Marc said.
“We’ve always loved smaller towns. The sense of community drew us here.”
The clinic is not associated with a specific hospital or medical practice, and they do not accept insurance. “As a result of that, prices are significantly lower and more affordable,” Marc said. They will be able to draw labs, which may be covered by insurance.
The clinic will be open Mondays and Thursdays until April, at which time it will be open five days a week. Office visits are by appointment, but walk-in visits are also accepted. Phone 520-224-3401 for more information.