New physician joins clinic staff

Dr. David Steves, 35, is working at the Cowlitz Family Health Center clinic in Cathlamet. Steves said he treats all ages, loves his work and wants to help people.

“When I was interviewed, they asked me what do you see yourself doing in five years. I said, I want to be seeing clients. They asked again, and I said, I want to be seeing patients,” he said.

Steves graduated from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2008 and completed his residency in Clarion, Pa. He received a scholarship from the National Health Service Corps which requires him to serve for three years in a medically underserved rural or urban area, such as Cathlamet.

Growing up in Corry, Penn., with its population of 7,000, where his father was a dentist for 36 years, Steves is prepared for the kind of practice that sees generations of family members.

Steves said he has been warned about the rain, and says Pennsylvania has as few clear days as Seattle.

Steves said he will see the full range of health concerns, and if he doesn’t have the answer a person needs, he’ll find someone who does.

Steves and his wife, Jocelyn have moved to Puget Island with their four young children, who are 10, nine, six and two-years old.

“We looked for a place to practice that wouldn’t require us moving in three years, but where we could stay,” he said.