SAINT FRANCIS PAIN MANAGEMENT CENTER 

WELCOMES NURSE PRACTITIONER

Saint Francis Medical Center welcomes nurse practitioner Tamara Keesee, FNP-C, to the Saint Francis Pain Management Center. 

She earned her Master of Science in Nursing from South University in Savannah, Georgia and is 

board certified from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 

Nurse practitioners are nurses who have undergone advanced training and are able to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries, order lab work and imaging tests, and write prescriptions. They can manage many health conditions, teach health promotion and help patients with disease prevention.

The Saint Francis Pain Management Center is nationally recognized for its commitment to delivering high-quality care and is the region’s only center accredited by the American Academy of Pain Management. 

The Pain Management Center treats a wide range of conditions, including: 

Degenerative disc disease

Spinal stenosis

Spondylosis (arthritis)

Compression fractures

Sciatica

Diabetic and idiopathic neuropathy

Facet syndrome

Myofascial pain syndrome

Occipital neuralgia

Piriformis syndrome

Post-hepatic neuralgia (shingles)

RSD (reflex sympathetic dystrophy)

Torticollis

Trochanteric bursitis

Post-laminectomy pain (cervical, lumbar and thoracic)

Muscle spasm

Intercostal neuralgia

Chronic pain

Inguinal pain

Cancer-related pain

If pain is keeping you from the life you want, talk with your doctor about a referral to the Saint Francis Pain Management Center or call 573-331-5329. 


Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by our mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, our priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy. Serving nearly 713,000 people across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, our focus is on patients' outcomes, experience and value.

Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 306-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 3,000 employees and more than 250 providers in eight communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include the Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family BirthPlace and the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.

Many people are asking where their new Medicare cards are and what they have to do to get them. New Medicare cards are on the way, they should be here by the end of the year and you only have to make sure the address Social Security has for you is up to date. Medicare will not call you and ask for your information to send you a card. Medicare will not charge you for your new card either. Several people in our area have received calls that they must send $5-25 to get their card, that is a scam. Please do not give your Medicare or Social Security number out to someone who calls you on the phone.

Another recent question is what to do with letters and information that promotes a website Medicare.com to access Medicare information. That site is not in any way affiliated with Medicare. If you need Medicare information, you can go to Medicare.gov. The .gov is important and lets you know you are on the real Medicare governmental site. If the internet is not a way you like to communicate, you can also call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227). Aging Matters will happily help with your Medicare questions, 800-392-8771.

Medicare also has changes to the cost; the standard Medicare Part B premium will be $135.50. Some will pay less because the Social Security COLA raise of 2.8% will not cover an increase. Those with higher incomes (over $85,000 for a person filing single or $107,000 for a couple filing jointly) could pay more. If you have limited income and assets you might qualify for help with your Medicare costs, call Aging Matters to see. The Medicare Part A deductible will increase to $1364 per benefit period and the Part B deductible will increase $2 to $185.

Many Part D plans are changing and we have already begun to help beneficiaries sort through the plans available. Open Enrollment for Medicare Part B continues until December 7. Please check your plan to make sure you are in the best plan for you. If you have any questions about Medicare, please call Aging Matters, 800-392-8771 or 573-335-3331.

Saint Francis Healthcare System proudly welcomes nurse practitioner, Gena Weinhold, APRN, FNP-BC, and physician assistant, Autumn Wills, PA-C, CDE, at Cape Diabetes and Endocrinology in providing the region with diagnosis, management and comprehensive treatment of diabetes and other disorders of the endocrine system. 

Weinhold earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah and her Master of Science in Nursing from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. She is board-certified from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. 

Wills earned her medical education from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. She is board-certified from the National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators. Prior to Saint Francis, Wills worked in Herrin, Illinois and has 11 years of experience in endocrinology. 

Cape Diabetes and Endocrinology cares for adults with cholesterol and lipid disorders, diabetes (gestational, Type 1 and Type 2), growth abnormalities, osteoporosis, secondary hypertension, and thyroid disorders. The practice offers insulin pump education and management and also has dietitians and nutritional specialists to assist and educate diabetics about meal planning, carbohydrate counting and insulin administration.

If you or a loved one has diabetes or another endocrine disorder, enlist the help of the specialists at Cape Diabetes and Endocrinology. Talk with your primary care physician about a referral or call 573-339-8718.

Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by our mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, our priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy. Serving nearly 713,000 people across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, our focus is on patients' outcomes, experience and value.

Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 308-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 2,800 employees and more than 250 providers in eight communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include the Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family BirthPlace and the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.

SAINT FRANCIS ADDS NURSE PRACTITIONER TO 

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Saint Francis Medical Center welcomes nurse practitioner Kimberly Wilkerson, APRN, FNP-BC, to the emergency department. She joins 15 other emergency providers in Saint Francis’ Emergency and Trauma Center, the region’s only state-designated Level III Trauma Center. 

She earned her Master of Science in nursing from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri and is Board Certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. 

Nurse practitioners are nurses who have undergone advanced training and are able to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries, order lab work and imaging tests, and write prescriptions. They can manage many health conditions, teach health promotion and help patients with disease prevention.

Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by our mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, our priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy. Serving nearly 713,000 people across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, our focus is on patients' outcomes, experience and value.

Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 306-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 3,000 employees and more than 250 providers in eight communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include the Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family BirthPlace and the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Saint Francis Healthcare System proudly welcomes board-certified gastroenterologist Ronald M. Angles, DO, as a Saint Francis Medical Partner. Angles’ is proficient in adult gastroenterology and hepatology. He joins the expert team at Cape Gastroenterology Specialists. 

Together, they provide the region with expert care for gastrointestinal conditions, including abdominal pain, biliary disorders, Crohn’s disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, gastroesophageal reflux, liver disorders, pancreatic disease, peptic ulcer disease, ulcerative colitis and other digestive disorders. 

Angles earned his medical degree at Nova Southeastern University of the Health Sciences in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He completed an internship, residency and gastroenterology fellowship at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, Michigan. 

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit www.sfmc.net. 

Saint Francis Healthcare System is guided by our mission to provide a ministry of healing, wellness, quality and love inspired by our faith in Jesus Christ. Founded by Franciscan Sisters in 1875, our priority remains the same: serve all who enter with dignity, compassion and joy. Serving nearly 713,000 people across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, our focus is on patients' outcomes, experience and value.

Anchored by Saint Francis Medical Center, a 306-bed tertiary hospital, and supported by nearly 3,000 employees and more than 250 providers in eight communities, the Healthcare System is a driving economic force in the region. Major services include the Cancer Institute, Emergency and Level III Trauma Center, Family BirthPlace and the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Heart Hospital, Neurosciences and Orthopedics.