December 2009

HEALING PEOPLE.
Our Corner of the World
Dr. Karl Watts Commemorative Edition
A TRIBUTE TO AMERICA’S FAMILY PHYSICIAN OF THE YEAR
By Steven Reames - Executive Director , Genesis World Mission
You’d think that being named the 2010 National Physician of the Year
by the American Academy of Family Physicians would go to one’s
head. However, if you know Dr. Karl Watts personally, you know he
shrugs it off and simply wants to get on with the work of making sure
people have access to healthcare.

AROUND THE CORNER.

Dr. Watts in Boston receiving AAFP Physician of the
Year Award, presented by Dr. Ted Epperly, director
of the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho and 2009
President of AAFP.
When I first interviewed with Dr. Watts to become director at Genesis
World Mission, I asked what I thought was a risky question, unsure of
what my hopeful-future employer would reply: “What happens to
Genesis if Karl Watts gets hit by a bus tomorrow?” He told me that he
never wanted to be the “be-all-end-all” or central decision-maker of
everything that happened here. Instead, he said he wanted to continue
to delegate leadership and expand the number of those who are in-
volved in the charity care of the people we serve. His response con-
firmed for me that Dr. Watts was somebody I was willing to follow.

In the ensuing three and a half years, I have seen Dr. Watts step aside again and again in keeping this promise. He
has deliberately made room for others to move into leadership and influential positions, not hoarding the spotlight or
the responsibility of making every decision. Although he sometimes carries the air of a doctor who barks out orders
and expects everybody to run to fulfill them, you soon recognize this is not a personality issue; it’s simply the man-
ner of a person trained to make decisive judgments. Indeed, it is this willingness to consider a situation and act deci-
sively that makes Dr. Watts the leader that he is.

“You committed us to what?!”

AROUND THE WORLD.

It was the summer of 2002 and Dr. Watts sat around a table with various leaders from the medical community who
considered the imminent and unexpected closure of the St. John’s Free Clinic. Genesis World Mission had begun in
2001 with a focus on supporting international missions efforts. It had been brewing in the hearts and minds of a
handful of people surrounding Dr. Watts who had received a vision in 1997 about the organization which was even-
tually established. Although it was in the new board’s plans to eventually create a local medical clinic, it wasn’t
something that they were looking at immediately. They’d just started leasing a former glass warehouse in Garden
City and were using it to receive donated medical supplies and equipment to help with international medical mis-
sions.

At that meeting, everybody wondered what would become of the indigent patients
who were receiving free care at the time. Nobody had a solution. Finally, Dr.
Watts slapped his hand on the table — as he invariably does when making a gut
motivated decision — and said, “‘Genesis will take the step to get our clinic going
before we had planned.” Everybody left the meeting relieved and excited.

He came back to the board of directors and told them he had just committed Gene-
sis to get a clinic started and everybody just looked at him and said, “Karl, you
committed us to what?!” But within two weeks, a mothballed double wide trailer Kelly Fitch and Dr Watts carry in a
desk to the “trailer clinic” in 2002
that was outfitted as a temporary clinic was donated by St. Luke’s Regional Medi-
215 W. 35th Street • Garden City, Idaho 83714 • www.genesisworldmission.org • 208.384.5218
cal Center. Soon, patient exam tables were given and vol- ships with the Idaho Sports Medicine Institute and the
unteers stepped forward to begin staffing the clinic. University of Washington’s Department of Family Medi-
cine, where he still serves as a clinical associate profes-
The Making of a Doctor sor. In 1993, he started and developed the Primary Care
Sports Medicine fellowship. He served at the Residency
Not everybody knows as a faculty instructor, director of clinical operations, as
that at a career day in well as interim director for a year.
the third grade, young
Karl discovered the The Residency was a critical milestone in his profes-
highest paying profes- sional career, development as a community leader, and
sionals were physi- consummate networker. Practically everybody in the
cians. That’s when he medical community says, “I knew Karl when he was a
decided to become a resident” and everybody has a story: Dr. Watts as the
doctor and began pre- only resident driving a Cadillac. The rattlesnake kept on
paring himself for that his shelf for wilderness training. Getting pulled out of the
Karl’s love for chemistry in high school
career. river by Dr. Glenn Bothwell while rafting….An even
helped propel him into medicine.
more life shaping event came at the age of 35, when Karl
Eventually, during his studies at the Medical College of married Teina, whom he’d met on a blind date.
Virginia, he was confronted by a group of Christians who
pointed out the “hypocrisy of his Christian faith,” and 1997: The genesis of Genesis
challenged him to do better. His subsequent adventure to
Ecuador began the radical shift in his life that unearthed a Every year, Dr. Watts’ church, Capital Christian Center,
compassionate heart. held a time of prayer and fasting. During one of these
services in January 1997, Dr. Watts had a vision for a
Dr Watts recalls: “We were doing cleft lip repairs on kids medical center that would meet both local and interna-
in Ecuador. The lighting was poor. The generator often- tional needs and provide care to the poor and needy. He
times quit and we’d have to pull out flashlights to shine went home to Teina, grabbed some colored pencils and
on the operating area. And with just that minimal stuff, sketched out his ideas. Genesis was born.
doing basic, simple things, we had such a profound im-
pact on these kids and families. It seems to me that the That same year, Dr Watts started Genesis Medical Cen-
impact was far greater than the impact I saw during med ter, a private family and sports medicine practice on
school caring for people in very different circumstances Overland Road. He also began gathering people around
with the best medications and the best doctors.” him to begin praying and planning about what would
eventually branch off as non-profit.
After his third year of medical school, he took a year off
and traveled to Hawaii, where he took part in a Disciple- One of those people was Dr. Susie Dillon, also a graduate
ship Training School with Youth with a Mission, an of the Residency, who joined the private practice in 1998.
evangelical missions organization. His mother was very They became a good team together both in private prac-
worried, and made him promise that he would not forgo tice and eventually in charity work as well. “Karl was the
returning to medical school to complete his studies. Eve- engine, and I was the brake. He was the front man, I was
rybody thought he was crazy. During that time, he caught the stage hand” says a demure Dr. Dillon, who relocated
a bug for doing work with the poor and upon return, he to Alaska in 2007 to continue raising her award winning,
switched his emphasis in Iditarod-racing huskies.
medicine from surgery to
family practice, believing it After batting around ideas for three years, Dr Watts sat at
would best facilitate going a table with Saint Alphonsus Sister Alice Mary Quintana.
overseas more. “Karl,” she said in a motherly tone, “you need to stop
talking about this idea you have and just do it.” So, they
Watts turned his eyes to the scraped some money together and hired Nic Allen, a
Family Medicine Residency young college graduate to became the administrative di-
of Idaho, where he knew he rector in 2001.
would receive comprehensive
training because of its empha- With an organization finally in place, Dr. Watts began to
sis on rural physicians. He reap the benefits of a team of people who caught the vi-
completed his residency in sion and started putting their hands to the work. One of
1991 and went on to fellow- An excited Karl finds out he’s
been accepted to FMRI. those hands was Tracy Haworth, RN, who came to the

December 2009 2
 Recognition of the Impact One Life Makes
• The thing that I admire about Karl is that he speaks through his actions.
No lip service with this guy! I applaud you, Dr. Watts, and it is plain to
see God’s favor is on you!” — Monica Hyde
• I am a nurse, planning to work in Tanzania this year, and Dr. Watts has
been a great role model for me in my journey towards this goal. I have en-
joyed volunteering with him over the years and am so happy that he re-
ceived this honor. Thank you for your leadership Dr. Watts and inspiring
other healthcare workers! — Shaundra Fontaine, RN
• Your life and work have been a continual inspiration to me. I am so Sports Medicine Fellowship Graduation—1992
blessed that I had the privilege of being your high school chemistry
teacher.” — Rev. Joan Senyk
• Dr. Watts has inspired me to be an ordinary Christian more fully than I was before. Since I am blessed to have an
MD behind my name there certain things I can do that other ordinary Christians can't do to witness and to serve oth-
ers. Some have an RN behind their name, some an MSW. Dr. Watts has shown me how to be part of a team and
better serve the Lord.— Greg Lewer, MD
• The impact that Dr. Watts has made through Genesis both locally and around the globe is certainly commendable.
Genesis is really a blessing to our community in all the lives that are touched each day.—Ed Schultz
• I remember Rachael and I talking about working for Dr. Watts sometimes and it was in a way, like working for the
President. You call someone and say you are calling on behalf of Karl and people actually stop and listen, amazing!
— Suzanne Porterfield
• All of these accolades are great and reaffirming, but the true worth and affirmation is from above and in the eyes of
those we minister to. What inspires the most is that your vision has been translated into our vision. You have opened
the way for myself and others to fulfill our dream. That dream is to serve others; serve our Lord. Just like the Exo-
dus, every dream and journey needs a voice, a leader. You have been that for our cause. Keep it coming my friend.
— Laney Nash, N.P.

GIFTS MADE IN HONOR OF DR. KARL WATTS

• Dr. George Wade • Ken and Annette Butler
• Mr. Rich and Dr. Shauna Williams • Bob and Pat Tuttle
• Rev. Joan I. Senyk • Henry and Gayle Martinez
• Belinda Knochel • Jeffrey and Andrea Symmonds
• George and Helen Geisler • John and Janet Kee
• Drs. Bill and Mary Dittrich • Rich and Claudia Terrell
• Delbert and Alice Scott • Dr. William A. and Bobbie Jones
• Timothy Smeeding and Marcia Carlson • Murray and Karen Daley
• Stan and Lorraine Bowman • Barbara Hawley
• Dr. Donald and Rosie Price • Dr. Quentin and Barbara Quickstad
• Dr. Dan Anderson and Shirley Ware • Sharon Johnson
• Drs. John Witte and Melody Dwyer-Witte • Jim and Jan Gambrell
• Dr. Lisa Scales • Joyce Honea
• Matt and Monica Hyde • Anonymous

RECENT CORPORATE SUPPORT AND HONORARY GIFTS

• $3,500 from the Kissler Family Foundation
Philanthropic Gift Fund in in the Idaho Community
Foundation
• $10,000 from the Julius C. Jeker Foundation in
support of the Garden City Community Clinic
• $25,000 from the John F. Nagel Foundation in support
of the Garden City Community Clinic
• Keynetics Inc. in honor of Greg Porterfield
• Drs. Scott Smith and Cathy Sandstrom in memory
of Pete Smith
• Alvin and Betty Haworth in honor of Tracy Ha-
worth
clinic in 2003 and began to build an infrastructure to support the visionary. “We would sit in the waiting room after
clinic was finished, put our heads in our hands, and say, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ We were making up poli-
cies as we went along,” says Tracy, describing what many young organizations experience when trying to meet the over-
whelming needs of people who are hurting.

A Clinic in Kenya
Tracy is now the international director, and has worked with Dr. Watts
on several of the medical mission trips. “I remember sitting in this
meeting with our friends in Kenya who were dreaming of a medical
facility for their community. They were describing a couple of rooms, a
lab, just trying to meet the needs of the women and children that they
were currently serving. And Karl says, ‘You’re thinking too small.
You need to build a clinic that is going to handle the growth that you’re
going to experience once you open.’ And that’s exactly what hap-
pened.”

Opening a clinic in Garden City is one thing; opening one up in another

part of the world is entirely different. But in 2007, the PEFA Mercy
Medical Center opened in Ndumberi, Kenya and quickly doubled from
Dr. Watts dedicates the Mercy Medical Center in Kenya.
seeing 30 patients a day in just two years. It was a good example of
how Dr. Watts sees the work of Genesis World Mission, which is al-
ways about partnerships working together in a community for the betterment of people in need. This is what 1 Corin-
thians 3 talks about: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who
waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one pur-
pose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.”

It’s not that everything Karl Watts puts his hand to turns to gold. Along with others, he’ll be the first to admit that there
was a lot of labor in any of the successful efforts. Establishing the Volunteer Physicians Network took two years of ex-
ploring, planning, database programming, recruiting and testing before it became a reality. And that was with sizable
federal grant funding. Most other work has been on a shoestring budget, a lot of borrowed labor and sometimes seems
held together by “gum and rubber bands.”

This can-do attitude reflects just how much Dr. Watts has adopted rural Idaho
values since moving here in 1988. It’s part of the reason why he was appointed
to the Governor’s Select Committee on Health Care in 2007. Using the facilita-
tion of charity care as a launching pad, he’s unexpectedly found himself in the
realm of advocacy and health care reform. Even before his recent award, he was
often invited to speak at City Clubs, Rotaries, and public panels on the subject.
Now, his voice is even more amplified, and was recently featured in Jet Maga-
zine, a national publication covering African-American issues.

Garden City Mayor John Evans presents Dr.
Watts with a Key to the City in November.
“The fundamental nature of how we deliver healthcare hasn’t changed for over a
hundred years,” says Watts. “We stand at a crossroads where we must do some-
thing dramatically different or the whole system will implode just like the hous-
ing and financial markets did over the past couple of years.”

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December 2009 3
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The revived burden Dr. Watts carries in his heart for reform is not
just motivated out of a desire to reduce costs or deliver better health
care. It is increasingly a message of justice, equity, responsibility,
and faith. When I hear him talk now, he sounds to me a lot like
Martin Luther King Jr. did on the steps of Washington, DC so
many years ago

Dr. Watts has a dream. Again.

For those wanting to help exalt every valley, make low every
mountain, make rough places plain and crooked places straight, the
work will be more challenging than before. The cost will be greater
than it was just to do “charity care.” Yet the potential of true health-
care reformation is really upon us and it seems that once again that
“Aint no mountain high enough” for Dr. Watts, who celebrates
Dr. Karl Watts has been hand picked for such a time as this. climbing Mt. Borah with Genesis compatriots Tracy Haworth and
Nic Allen, who went on to become a physicians assistant..

PLATINUM SPONSOR

F A M I L Y H E A L T H C A R E
Karl Watts, MD
Gregory S. Lewer, MD 10255 W. Overland Road
A. Patrice Burgess, MD Boise, Idaho 83709
Scott Shappard, DO 208.367.7205
Julie M. Clark, PA-C
 KARL WATTS,
M.D.
SIX
MONTHS
T Is your vision
How far ahead
blurry?
would
you like to see?
ONE
YEAR
R A N S
FIVE
YEARS
F O R M I N G
TEN
YEARS H E A L T H C A R E

FIFTEEN
YEARS TURNING HEALTHCARE RIGHT SIDE UP

25
YEARS FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD

2 2 VISION
Faith Hope and Charity Dinner
to benefit Genesis World Mission

Come join Dr. Karl Watts, 2010 National Family Physician of the Year, as
he writes his prescription for a decade of transformative healthcare.

Sunday March 7 2010 5 PM @ the DoubleTree Riverside

Tickets are $75 each Reservations: 208-384-5218 or go to www.genesisworldmission.org