2 medical professionals join Albion Healthcare Center

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Family nurse practitioner Liz Gurnsey, center, is joined by two medical personnel at the Albion Healthcare Center. At left is Pamela Eaton, adult nurse practitioner, and at right is Marlo Castelo, physician assistant.

ALBION – The Albion Healthcare Center was established in 2012 with the aim of offering prompt medical assistance to the community.

Since then, it has evolved into a convenient hub, offering an expanding array of services, according to Scott Robinson, director of Marketing, Communication and Outreach at Orleans Community Health.

The site added two more medical professionals to meet increasing demand.

Joining Dr. Syed Raza, physician assistant Cheryl Kast and family nurse practitioner Liz Gurnsey are Marlo Castelo, physician assistant certified, and Pamela Eaton, adult nurse practitioner.

Castelo was born and raised in Puerto Rico, coming to Bethesda, Md. with her parents at the age of 12. She comes to Albion from Bethal, Alaska, a small town 400 miles west of Anchorage with a population of 500 people. She was their sole provider, she said. She treated new babies to 98-year-olds.

“It didn’t matter if they had a broken bone or chest pain, I took care of them,” she said. “It’s the same here. I’ll do whatever needs to be done. We had very little resources in Alaska. We had to improvise and do with what we had. We once made a cast out of bubble wrap.”

Castelo earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and later completed her physician assistant degree at Nova Southeastern University. She recently concluded a fellowship in psychiatry at the University of California at Irvine, maintaining her NCCPA certification since graduation from physician assistant’s school in 2010.

With a diverse medical background, Castelo concentrated on family medicine, geriatric care, women’s health and psychiatry, encompassing areas such as substance abuse, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety during her tenure in Florida.

She spent three years in Alaska before deciding she wanted a change. Influencing her decision to settle in Western New York is the fact her brother plays viola with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She visited him and liked the area.

“I put out my resume and a recruiter for Orleans Community Health reached out to me,” Castelo said.

She is currently living in Brockport until she can find a place closer to Albion.

Pamela Eaton joined the staff on Jan. 15. Eaton grew up in Middleport and obtained her master of science in nursing with a post master’s in adult and geriatric nurse practitioner. She has 22 years of experience serving the community, eight with Dr. Tom Madejski’s office.

A board-certified nurse practitioner, certified advanced aesthetic nurse practitioner and certified wellness and medical weight loss practitioner, Eaton has practiced in geriatric and adult internal medicine and has also worked for three years in hematology and oncology.

She brings a passion for healthcare, wellness and promoting a sense of well-being to her patients. As the owner of Hometown Wellness Center and Sii Bello Beauty Bar in Medina, she is also an advocate for health and wellness through events in the community.

“I love doing things for my community, and this was another opportunity to do that,” Eaton said.

Because of the influx of patients, the Albion clinic has pulled back on accepting walk-ins. The addition of two new providers will help alleviate that problem.

“We’re excited that we’ll be able to begin expanding walk-in services again,” Robinson said. “While walk-in services for patients who are ill won’t be every day, they can now call (585) 589-2273 to check on availability. This should only continue to improve. Walk-in services are still available for laboratory (blood draws) and X-ray, which do not require any calling ahead.”