Danielle Russo, MD - Beacon Medical Group WaNee

Beacon Medical Group WaNee brings together the dedicated teams from Beacon Medical Group Nappanee and Beacon Medical Group Wakarusa, who have served families in the region for years. Conveniently located across from NorthWood High School, this new office combines the two practices to provide the best care to more people as we meet the future needs of everyone in the region. Our team believes in treating the whole person. We practice the most innovative, comprehensive and compassionate care to help you and your entire family stay well. We form lasting, caring relationships with you and your family while providing high-quality health care that meets all your medical needs at every stage of life. We provide a full range of medical services, including: adult medicine, newborn and infant care, pediatric care, OB-GYN services, pap smears, contraceptive medicine, preventive care, urgent care, minor surgeries, fracture care, immunizations, school, sports and camp physicals, DOT physicals, pharmacy services, diagnostic X-ray, lab services — For your convenience, Beacon Medical Group staff perform lab draws on-site Monday – Friday and testing is done through the Beacon Core Lab.

“The specialty of family medicine allows physicians to treat a wider variety of problems than other specialties,” explains Dr. Verlin Houck. “When caring for patients, I see acute and chronic problems involving all organ systems for patients of all age groups.” Dr. Houck earned his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Family Medicine at Memorial Hospital of South Bend. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Family Medicine. But his education didn’t end there. “After office hours, I always read medical literature at least two hours every day to keep up on recent developments.” This dedication to knowledge shapes his practice. “I try to stay up-to-date on the latest evidence-based treatments. If there is no evidence that shows a treatment works, I usually do not recommend it.” Dr. Houck is a proponent of prevention when it comes to health conditions. “Prevention is the best medicine,” he says. “This includes immunizations, blood tests and other screening procedures and tests for diseases and various disorders.” This lens on health helps Dr. Houck deliver exceptional care. His philosophy? “Provide treatment for patients which will allow them to be healthier or live longer. There is usually more than one option to fix a problem.” In His Own Words What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? Surveyor’s assistant. I learned geometry and trigonometry at a young age. If you could sit down to dinner with anyone (alive or deceased), who would it be and why? My wife. No explanation needed. Do you have any pets? Cats, dogs, chickens, ducks and sometimes rabbits. What are your hobbies, interests? Swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, walking, cutting wood, carpentry, oil painting, gardening, reading, going to medical conferences, astronomy, particle physics and others. What is something most people don’t know about you? I was the #1 student in the department in calculus at Indiana University in Bloomington. I always “broke the curve” in any science course that I took requiring mathematics.

Nurse practitioner Reba Goshert was just five years old when she decided to pursue a career in health care. “I wanted to help and care for people.” She accomplished this goal. “I started a nurse at Elkhart General Hospital working on the pediatric unit,” she explains. “I knew that I wanted to help families beyond an acute time as an inpatient, so I decided to continue my education and graduated with my pediatric nurse practitioner in 1993.” She earned her master’s degree in nursing at Indiana University and completed a post-master’s program in family practice at Graceland University. “After a period of time, I realized that I wanted to see the whole family, not just the children. I love family practice because I can serve the whole family for all of their health care needs.” “It is important to listen to your patients,” she explains. As a family nurse practitioner, she listens to patients from all walks of life. “I see patients from newborn to geriatric for all of their health care needs, including wellness exams, acute visits and chronic disease management.” In Her Own Words Who are the most influential people in your life? The most influential people in my life were my parents who showed me how to care, listen and work hard. What was your first job growing up? What do you remember about it? MY very first job was cleaning at the local school system. What are your hobbies, interests? I love working outside, gardening and taking walking when I am not busy on the farm. Do you have pets? We have chickens, goats and dairy feeder calves for 4-H. We have two dogs and two cats. What were your best and worst subjects in school? My best subjects in school were math and science. My worst subject was social studies.