Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney And Gemma.
Hi Courtney and Gemma , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We met one another in podiatry school in Cleveland, Ohio. During our residencies in Rhode Island and Jacksonville we were at a conference and decided to open a practice together. Dr English (maiden name Patel) grew up in Athens and we initially set our sights on that area for the practice. At the time, the Northeast Georgia Braselton campus was just being built and the area did not have a large podiatry presence. Instead of Athens, we opened in Braselton and have now expanded our practice to offices in both locations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing in medicine is smooth. Being an independent, privately owed small practice is not simple. We do not have the negotiating power of larger organizations to improve reimbursement rates from insurance plans. We cannot compete with the competitive wages and benefits that employees can get through a larger group practice. Covid was a major factor in 2020 and we continue to see impacts from the devastation and changes even today. As a female owned practice, we do face issues with gender inequality and patients who speak and act disrespectfully because of our gender. Podiatry is an interesting profession because we go through rigorous education including medical school and a 3-year surgical residency but still people are unaware of the many conditions that we treat.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Chateau Foot and Ankle?
We are a podiatric medical practice and we specialize in conditions that affect the foot and ankle at all ages. We treat pain because of bunions, plantar fasciitis, hammertoes, calluses, arthritis, broken bones, growing pains and more. We treat diabetic patients who need specialized care for the skin and nails. We treat kids with ingrown toenails and warts. We see athletes with sprains and broken bones. Although we are double-board certified surgeons, we pride ourselves on trying to exhaust conservative treatment options before jumping into surgery. We have state of the art modalities such as Class IV laser, radial pulse shockwave and pain free options for treating ingrown toenails that does not require a surgical procedure. We treat patients as if they are family and we extend our compassion to them as such. We also care about our community and try to give back by sponsoring a fundraiser for different area charities each year. We coordinate care with other specialties to give thorough and comprehensive evaluations and managements of the patient as a whole person rather than focusing on just their lower extremities.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
In order to network with other providers we have attended local seminars/conferences and hospital staff meetings. To network with community members we sponsor sports teams, neighborhood events, and attend health fairs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.getgreatfeet.com
- Instagram: chateaufootandankle
- Facebook: chateaufootandanklecenter
