Berry Healthful
Block Number: 78
“BERRY HEALTHFUL”
By Nora Worthen
On Tuesday last, the McDowell Quilt Trail installed its 78th block at Marion Wellness & Disease Management, LLC, and headquarters for Kathleen McNutt’s primary care medical practice. Kathleen has a Master of Science in Nursing degree and is board certified as an adult nurse practitioner. Dr. Eric Hart of Hickory is her backup physician.
Until July 2009, Kathleen maintained an office on South Main Street, where she provided care for patients with no health insurance. She has been in Marion for over ten years, and during that time also provided health care for Drexel Heritage employees until the plant closed. In 2007 she began taking care of the medical needs of the employees at Coats-America through a subsidiary company belonging to Dr. Hart, called HealthStat. With the recent changes in health care, Kathleen now accepts most insurance plans. Her website listed below gives more detailed information about her practice.
The Marion Wellness center is located at 59 Gypsy Mountain Road, which is off Hicks Chapel Loop, just south of Woodlawn in Marion. It is at this location where Mike Lucas, with assistance from Jack Rakker, installed the quilt block named “Berry Healthful.” This block is 8x8 foot in size, designed and painted by Jan Zimmerman and Mike Lucas, in a pattern of geometrically shaped red blossoms opening to reveal a blue and gold center with a clump of blueberries for the stamen. Clumps of blueberries are spread throughout the block, representative of the blueberry orchard on the property.
Known among her patients, friends and acquaintances as “the blueberry lady,” Kathleen says the blueberry orchard is the reason for including the blueberries in the quilt pattern. She explains, “Blueberries are good for the heart. I want to embody this whole area as being very healthy. Out here it’s very nurturing and a calming type of environment where patients can come, walk, and relax.
Kathleen talks of future plans for a walking trail throughout the property, an herb garden, and a pumpkin patch for the fall season. “I would like to be able to make homeopathic herbs and oils that I can use in my practice. I do try to promote wellness.”
Harold Robinson is in charge of maintaining the 25-acre estate, and making sure that things run smoothly. Ella Johnson greets each patient with a smile upon entering the office. Her many duties are what you would expect in a medical office, and she makes patients feel at ease from check-in to checkout.
The Certificate of Authenticity was presented by Jill Lucas, after the quilt block was installed. Friends, (which included Coco, Rosie and Burbon), family, and employees of Kathleen gathered for the presentation ceremony.
