By KEVIN CHIRI

Publisher

LAPLACE – Dr. Michael Davis is obviously not afraid to try new things, even when it might be going against the odds.

Case in point: When he decided to go into practice for himself the first time, he picked LaPlace as a town to start with his family medicine practice.

But unlike most doctors who begin as an associate in an established office to get their feet on the ground, Davis jumped right into his own practice.

&#8220Honestly,” he said. &#8220Everyone thought I was nuts.”

That began in LaPlace in Oct., 2004, and two years later his business continues to grow and grow.

So now Davis is taking the next step to continue to offer more services to the River Region, with his Family MD After Hours office, which began operation last week, and gives people in the area an option for after hours medical needs.

His office, located on the entrance road to River Parishes Hospital off Airline Highway, in Suite 7 of the long strip of medical offices there, is now offering hours until 8 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. He will eventually expand to weekend and later night hours.

But for now, Davis sees a need for more late night medical services for the area, and he wants to be among the first to fill it.

&#8220It just appears that there is a need for more emergency services after hours, or even scheduled appointments in the evening,” he explained. &#8220And there seemed to be nothing else like that here. It gives people an option instead of running to the emergency room in the evenings.”

The new hours at his office are now 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, while still offering 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday hours, and even a Saturday schedule from 8 a.m. until noon.

&#8220We don’t just offer urgent care, but we’ll take anyone for regular visits also,” he added. &#8220And if you need to use us just for a one time stop, that’s fine, and then we’ll refer you back to your regular doctor.”

Davis graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2000, then did his residency at East Jefferson Hospital in New Orleans. When it was time to begin his own practice, he saw a few things that made him decide to go it alone.

&#8220To be honest with you, I wasn’t happy with the patient care I saw at most places,” he said. &#8220I hate to say that, but it was true. And I’ve been really determined to always excel in personal service for my patients. It’s not unusual for me to spend 30 minutes with a patient for almost anything, and if it’s your first visit, you might be in there for an hour since I want to be sure to understand everything about you.”

And that philosophy has apparently been the reason his business continues to grow in just two years.

&#8220We treat you the way you would want to be treated, not hurrying up to get to the next patient in,” he added. &#8220And even as we grow, I’m determined to never change that.”

Davis is married, and his wife Celeste had their first baby just over a year ago, now a 16-month-old son named Andrew.