CHENEY - After 38 years of continuous service to the Cheney Community, Doctor Charles Hough is finally hanging up his stethoscope – well, sort of. “Once you’ve worked 55-to-60-hour weeks for 38 years, you can’t just stop. I look at this as a transition time to keep working but trying to learn to take time off and be OK with that,” Hough said with a smile. “I’m a box checker, we’re all box checkers, right?”
It’s that “box checking” attitude – supplemented by an interest in science and people – that guided him into the medical profession in 1976. And that’s how, after graduation in July of 1983, Dr. Hough landed in Cheney. “I had a great feel when I came here, the people were warm and welcoming . . . I enjoyed it and made a lot of good friends over the years.”
But, in that time, he’s seen many changes across the profession, including the movement from private practice to large, advanced health systems. When Dr. Hough began his career, his division of Rockwood consisted of 35 doctors. Now he estimates they employ around 10,000 people as private practices continue to decline across the country. In addition, technology has guided everything online and streamlined record keeping and virtually every other aspect of health care.
And over the last year and a half of global pandemic, the medical field has been turned on its head again. The MultiCare Rockwood Clinic at 19 North 7th Street, that Dr. Hough called home for over a quarter-century, became a respiratory clinic for the West Plains, and as a member of the high-risk group, he was relegated to Medical Lake and Airway Heights where days were often long and often uneventful.
“A lot of people, for good or bad, put a hold on their regular healthcare and decided to say home,” he said. “So it was kind of quiet for a while.”
Yet the change of pace did little to dim his love of medicine; and it appears his retirement will do little dim his desire to serve the community. “I’m going to fill in for people who are sick or gone; wherever the MultiCare system needs me,” Hough said, contemplating the future. And to keep himself on track, he created an acronym: HRKSS.
“H” stands for “Health,” staying fit and able. “R” stands for “Relationships,” rekindling connections with friends. “K” stands for “Knowledge,” learning something new every day. “S” stands for Service,” giving back to the community. And the other “S” stands for “Skills,” increasing capabilities. It’s an ambitious goal for a new retiree, but given Dr. Hough’s track record, success under the new philosophy is almost guaranteed.
In the end, despite the long hours, frustrations, and tribulations, Dr. Charles Hough remains content with his career and appreciative of the patrons who touched his life. “I just want to thank the people of Cheney for being so gracious to me, so supportive. Cheney’s a place of people with good faith, good will, good intentions. You know, we face a country that’s very divided. And I think if our country could learn from the love and care and community of Cheney, we’d be a lot better off.”
Scott Davis can be reached at [email protected]
Reader Comments(0)