CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Peoples Community Health Clinic CEO Christine Kemp, third from right, and nurse practitioner Beth Myhr, fourth from right, mark the opening of Peoples’ new satellite medical clinic in Traer with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. Also pictured, members of the North Tama Medical Associates board, local officials, Traer Chamber of Commerce members, and clinic staff.

TRAER – The provider is in and patients are arriving.

After opening the doors to its new satellite medical clinic in downtown Traer on Monday, May 4, Peoples Community Health Clinic, Inc. held a ribbon cutting and open house on Wednesday, May 20. Those attending the ceremony included Peoples CEO Christine Kemp, members of the North Tama Medical Associates board, local officials, Traer Chamber of Commerce members, and clinic staff.

Visitors stopping by during the three-hour open house had an opportunity to meet the clinic’s new provider, Beth Myhr, ARNP, who was easily identifiable in her white lab coat with a stethoscope wrapped around her neck.

“The first few weeks have been going really well,” Myhr, a nurse practitioner, told the newspaper following the ribbon cutting. “(Many) of the patients that have been coming in have been established from MercyOne.”

On Dec. 10, 2025, MercyOne Traer Family Medicine ceased operations, leaving the community quite abruptly without a medical provider. Some six weeks later on Jan. 22, 2026, Peoples Community Health Clinic of Waterloo announced that it planned to open a new, permanent satellite clinic in Traer later that spring in the former MercyOne building located at 200 Walnut Street on the west end of downtown.

In addition to the new Traer satellite clinic, Peoples Clinic operates two other federally qualified health centers (FQHC) in Waterloo (main clinic) and Clarksville (satellite clinic) plus a satellite clinic at Clarksville Community School. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, FQHCs are community-based, federally funded clinics that provide essential services, including primary, dental, and mental health care, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. Such outpatient clinics offer sliding-scale fees and receive enhanced Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements.

Myhr was hired as the Traer clinic’s new provider in April after previously working in private practice in Waterloo. She said she looks forward to caring for patients of all ages and brings experience in both pediatric and adult care. And despite being new to the community, Myhr said she has stayed busy since the clinic opened May 4.

“On my very first day I think I had an 8:10 (appointment). We’ve had five to six people calling in scheduling [on average] most days. We’ve had people come in today to schedule an appointment,” she said.

One thing folks do not have to worry about, however, is patient volume dictating the clinic’s future. As a federally qualified health center, the clinic is able to focus on increasing access to care rather than meeting strict patient-volume targets, Myhr explained.

While Myhr was a new hire, several of Peoples Clinic’s Waterloo staff members transferred to Traer. As of press time, the location is still in need of nurses.

“The largest struggle has been finding nurses. We’re still accepting applications,” Peoples Clinic marketing specialist Libby Mann said. “Nationwide there’s a nursing shortage.”

Traer’s clinic currently offers primary care and lab work while providing referrals for physical and occupational therapy and mental health care. Beginning in July, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and therapist from Peoples’ main clinic in Waterloo will see patients on-site in Traer every two weeks. This fall, Myhr hopes to add pharmacy services as well with prescriptions filled through Peoples’ Waterloo pharmacy and then couriered to the Traer clinic for pickup at discounted rates.

“That’s still a work in progress,” Myhr explained before adding that in order to utilize the clinic’s pharmacy services, as well as its lab services, patients must establish care with Peoples Clinic.

Myhr is currently accepting new patients. She is also scheduling establish-care visits for those considering switching providers.

Peoples Clinic accepts all major health insurance coverage, as well as Medicaid, Medicare, and Hawki. For those without insurance, the clinic offers a sliding fee based on income and family size.

To make an appointment, call 319-652-3332 or stop in during clinic hours: Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon. The clinic is closed on Thursdays.

Peoples Clinic also operates an urgent care office at 905 Franklin Street in Waterloo (the main clinic’s northwest entrance), Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Additional information, including employment opportunities, is available on the clinic’s website: https://www.peoples-clinic.com.