Hannah Rishel, M.D., a pediatrician at North Country HealthCare and has been a staple in the Holbrook community for the last two decades. This month she will be leaving North Country and Holbrook and moving to Washington, where she will continue her career as a pediatrician. Dr. Rishel moved to Holbrook in 1995, and two years later founded the Family Healing Center in Joseph City with her husband, Brad. They opened a second location in Holbrook in 2001 so they could care for more patients over a larger area. The Family Healing Center transitioned into a North Country HealthCare facility in 2007, allowing Dr. Rishel to offer the same care to her patients, while bringing on additional programs, services and staff. “The children are the best thing about working at North Country HealthCare. They make me laugh,” Dr. Rishel said. “I have truly enjoyed seeing my patients grow up and then seeing their own children.” Her legacy goes beyond providing pediatric care. She has been a devoted advocate for child abuse response and prevention in her community. She performs forensic exams for child abuse cases as requested by law enforcement or the Department of Child Safety, and she works closely with these entities to educate them on performing child forensic exams. She co-founded the Navajo County Family Advocacy Center in 2011, which has locations in Show Low and Holbrook. “Raising awareness of child abuse in our community has been difficult, but rewarding work,” said the doctor. “The number of reported child abuse cases is about two-thirds less than it was when the advocacy center first began, so the environment for children has become safer over the years.” Dr. Rishel said she is grateful for all the community partners she has worked with to improve the health and wellbeing in northern Arizona. The Rishels are moving to Longview, Wash., where she will work as a pediatrician. They will be closer to their three sons, who all live in the Seattle and Portland areas. They also have a daughter living in Albuquerque.
