Our providers offer you quick, convenient, high-quality care right here in town. We’ve recently expanded, with more providers and extended clinic and physical therapy hours, to serve you better whether you are in Lake County full time or commute out of the area.
Gary Petry, MD
Family Medicine Specialist, Emergency Physician, Hospitalist
St. Vincent Hospital welcomed Dr. Gary Petry to the Leadville Medical Clinic in 2013. He pursued his medical degree at Kansas University of Medicine from 1994 to 1998. His residency followed at Smokey Hill Family Practice in Salina, where he specialized in Rural Family Medicine. In 2001 Dr. Petry was employed by Geary Community Hospital in Junction City, Kansas, as a family practice physician, working in both areas of inpatient and outpatient care. He began working in the emergency room in 2008.
“I moved to Leadville because of my hobbies and my enthusiasm for mountain recreation. I have vacationed regularly in Lake County. At the same time, I am committed to quality rural health care and don’t believe ‘rural healthcare’ means ‘less healthcare,’” said Petry. When asked what concerns him about health issues, Petry replied, “the epidemic of obesity, childhood obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome concern me greatly. I look forward to working with St. Vincent Hospital, and my colleagues at the clinic to promote better health for Lake County.”
Lisa Zwerdlinger, MD
Lisa Zwerdlinger, MD
Chief of Medical Staff, Hospitalist, Emergency Medicine, Primary Care
Dr. Lisa is the Chief Medical Officer at St. Vincent Hospital. She cares for patients in the emergency room and as the hospitalist for inpatients. She grew up in Colorado. Dr. Lisa was educated at the University of Colorado for undergraduate, medical school and residency training. She is board certified in family practice and is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Health Science Center of Medicine. Her passion for living and playing in the mountains brought her to Leadville. She is an avid mountain biker, rock climber, ice climber, and backcountry skier. Dr. Lisa has co-authored many articles and studies on high altitude physiology. Dr. Lisa is the Physician Advisor for the local search and rescue group, High Mountain Institute, and assists Outward Bound with backcountry medical advice.
She currently holds privileges at St. Vincent Hospital and at St. Anthony’s Summit Medical Center in Frisco Colorado.
Joette Eyser, MS NP-C RNFA CNOR,
Emergency and Family Medicine
David Cimino, PT, DPT
David Cimino, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS
Physical Therapy Department Manager
Dave has always valued an active lifestyle and wants to enable individuals to stay active for as long as they desire. He loves working directly with individuals and values assisting them to improve their quality of life.
His roots are from New York and Long Island, N.Y. but a passion for the outdoors led Dave to Colorado over seven years ago. When Dave is not at work he is often spending time outdoors alpine skiing, mountain biking, or taking his dog on a hike. He can also be found watching sports or playing ice hockey.
Dave taught the recent winter sports conditioning class at St. Vincent Hospital. He and Kelsey Kuehn, PT, DPT, the physical therapy department manager, hope to bring more conditioning classes to Leadville and Lake County in the future.
Education: Northeastern University in Boston, MA
Family: Girlfriend, “Bizzy”, and Labradoodle “Hootie.”
Favorite Mountain Moments: Backcountry skiing, hut trips, and participating in several endurance ski-mountaineering races.
Philosophy: “I feel it is our role to be a patient advocate, teach our patients to advocate for themselves and provide a supportive environment. I’d like St. Vincent Hospital grow as a place people come to, not because they are sick, but because they hope to remain healthy.”
Kelly Bergkessel, PT, DPT, COMT
Kelly Bergkessel, PT, DPT, COMT
Physical Therapy
Kelly’s first career was as an electrical engineer. She soon realized that she missed the joy that interacting with people brought her. As a swimmer and triathlete, she had received physical therapy care and was drawn to the profession. So, she returned to school to become a doctor of physical therapy at the University of Colorado. Kelly is also certified in Dry Needling and Orthopedic Manual Therapy.
“It is fulfilling to help our patients get out of pain and to be in a profession that helps people,” commented Kelly. She focuses on tailoring treatments to individual patient needs and getting them back doing what they love.
Kelly is a lover of outdoor recreation and endurance sports. She has recently practiced physical therapy in Anchorage, Alaska. Kelly and her husband were there for 5 years. She is excited to live the small-town life in Leadville. Kelly says “bring on the snow.” There was never a doubt, but now we know she is a perfect fit for Leadville and Lake County.
Visiting Ortho at St. Vincent Hospital, Karli Dimino, MPAS, PA-C; Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center; Salida; Colorado; USA
Karli Dimino, MPAS, PA-C
Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center
Visiting Specialist – Orthopedics
Karli Dimino visits Leadville at St. Vincent Hospital on the 1st Wednesday of the month from 8:00 a.m.-noon. Call 719-530-2000 to request an appointment in Leadville.
Nelson Prager, MDVail Health Cardiology Center
A board-certified cardiologist with Vail Health’s Cardiovascular Center, Dr. Prager manages heart and vascular health with expertise in cardiac electrophysiology, heart rhythm disturbances, and coronary artery disease. His patients range from healthy adults seeking preventative cardiac care to those with significant cardiac illnesses. Dr. Prager treats cardiac disease with a comprehensive approach that begins with diagnostics and assessments and can include treatments such as blood thinners, electrophysiology (which includes the advanced care for arrhythmias and the use of pacemakers and defibrillators) and/or rehabilitative measures.
While no referral is necessary to book a cardiovascular appointment, patients are encouraged to contact their insurance company to determine whether a referral is required for optimal insurance coverage. Call 719-486-0230 for information and to schedule an appointment with Dr. Prager in Leadville.
Holly Kosanovich, M.S., CCC-SLP Speech Therapy / Rehabilitation Telehealth Center for Vocal Health
Holly Kosanovich, M.S., CCC-SLP
Visiting specialist/telehealth
Speech Therapy/Rehabilitation
Holly has a plethora of experience working with individuals in many clinical settings including acute care, outpatient rehab, cancer centers, skilled nursing, home health, and pediatrics. Holly participated in published research within the field of Communication Disorders and taught various laboratories in speech and acoustic science and phonetics. Her specialty practice includes treatment of a variety of disorders through voice rehabilitation and swallow rehabilitation, including various vocal pathologies, head and neck cancer, and neurological conditions.
