Camas Family Health celebrates 20 years of providing relief

The yellow house at the corner of Northeast Sixth Avenue and Birch Street, in Camas, has thrived for two decades. During the first 19 years, its occupant – the Camas Family Health Center – relied on word-of-mouth advertising.

Adding a sign to the building’s exterior is among the more recent methods of promoting the center’s chiropractic and massage services. This month, the health center’s founder Dr. Patricia Smith attended a social media seminar with Dr. Trista Darling.

“We are trying to become more interactive and trying to change with everyone else,” Darling said. “We are starting to increase the use of social media.”

That has included the use of Twitter and Facebook.

“She’s been the catalyst for a lot of youthful ideas,” Smith said, of Darling. “We’ve had a lot of fun.”

Both women were involved in developing the practice’s website two years ago.

Their offices are located in a former family home.

“Some patients played here as children,” Smith said. “That is kind of fun, and they have good memories.”

She and her husband Michael, a psychologist, purchased the century old building in 1990.

The health center opened the following year after renovations were completed.

“It involved a sledgehammer and a lot of dust,” Smith said.

Michael Smith passed away in 2001.

Patricia’s fond memories of the past 20 years have included meeting local residents.

“It’s such a nice, family-oriented community,” she said. “I feel lucky to have survived all the ups and downs of the economy. It’s been a nice career for me.

“Twenty years goes fast,” Smith added. “There have been thousands of patients. We stopped counting at 4,000. Luckily, they don’t all hurt at the same time.”

She is a mother of two.

Darling joined the practice in 2006 and purchased it in 2009 with her husband Jesse.

They grew up in Camas and are the parents of three.

“I like working with Trista, rather than working alone,” Smith said.

Before Darling joined the practice, Smith worked with Dr. Larry Smith, and then Dr. Gary Smith.

“I enjoy the patients and helping people feel better,” Darling said. “We treat all ages – from pregnancy to geriatric – the whole spectrum of grandmas, aunts and grandchildren from the same family. I love the children.”

In addition to chiropractic care, the Camas Family Health Center provides nutritional and weight loss counseling, massage and custom orthotics.

The benefits of chiropractic care, according to Darling, include increased mobility and decreased pain.

“We treat migraines to low back pain and knee pain,” she added. “We treat a lot of children for colic issues.”

Massage therapy is provided by licensed massage practitioners Kris Good, Kelli Bushnell and Kitrina DePaolo.

Deep tissue, trigger point, myofacial release, sports massage, prenatal massage and hot stone therapies are available.

Most insurance companies cover chiropractic care and treatment as well as massage, Smith said.

Camas Family Health Center is located at 235 N.E. Sixth Ave. For more information, call 834-5126, email cfhc@comcast.net or visit www.camasfamilyhealthcenter.com.