Honoring Dr. Steven G. Waltz, MD

For 38 years, Parke County families have been under the devoted care of Dr. Steven G. Waltz, MD, in his family medical practice in Rockville. After receiving an MD from IU School of Medicine in 1984 and completing 3 years of Residency at Union Hospital, he partnered with Dr. Richard Bloomer, in what is now the stately home of Parke County Community Foundation, downtown Rockville. He is grateful for the years he had in this location, which allowed him to build patient relationships, become reacquainted with the community from the perspective of his new role, and gain comfort in that role. The opportunity to glean wisdom from an experienced physician who was the epitome of professionalism and who provided care for patients along with treating their illnesses was priceless.

When Dr. Waltz first came back to his hometown of Rockville as a physician, he thought he would be taking care of people he knew, friends and neighbors from his boyhood, but his universe of people expanded when patients from all over Parke County and its surrounding communities started to seek his care. Patients might be some combination of friends, neighbors, and social or community acquaintances, but they were all unique, special people valued as individuals. They became more like family than “patients”. Dr. Waltz emphasizes the importance of community in the healthcare setting, “To be a good physician, you need to live with the people you care for to keep you grounded and in-tune with patient needs.”   

He built a new medical office in 1994 to accommodate the needs of a growing number of patients. This allowed Dr. Waltz and his staff, Jean Cook, Melissa Caldwell, Barbara Oberholtzer, and soon after Sue Lawson and Pam Engle, to step up to the constantly changing challenges of providing healthcare and bring in additional providers to meet future needs. The new office provided more space, updated facilities, and expanded lab services. It also maintained hope that Dr. Waltz and his staff could continue to provide quality, local primary care to ALL the community not only when they were sick, but also to set broken bones, stitch up emergent lacerations, or tend to expectant mothers in a local office as well as seeing patients in the hospital and nursing home as part of daily care. Over the years, these services have been referred to specialists who may be unfamiliar with a patient’s medical or social history and are less able to provide treatment that is customized to the individual. The Information Age inspired many individuals to take an active role in their health care while rising costs of insurance, testing, and treatment limited access to care and seemed to place health care out of reach to some. Dr. Waltz strived to provide care for anyone who came through the doors in the challenging healthcare environment.

Dr. Waltz prepared for his eventual retirement over a decade ago by joining Valley Professionals Community Health Center in 2015 to secure someone to continue providing compassionate care for patients and families that chose him as their physician. The new partnership enabled the Rockville clinic to double its size and capacity to see patients, adding family physicians, nurse practitioners, behavioral health therapists, psychiatry, care management, and community resources.  Valley Professionals’ mission to provide comprehensive and integrated health care for all individuals and families regardless of ability to pay was in line with Dr. Waltz’s belief that a community and its health are tied together, and as such, it is critical that each of its members have access to the tools to live a healthy life.   

Dr. Waltz reflected on a long and successful medical career and was grateful to his family and all the supportive staff members, especially nurse Jean Cook who has been with him since the beginning and is also retiring this month after 50 years of providing care in Rockville.  Her devotion, compassion, and competence in caring for people in this area are truly remarkable and appreciated! In his new daily routine, he knows he will miss the opportunity to see patients, keep up with what is happening in their lives, and work with many dedicated healthcare providers. The moments where careful study and diligence helped detect early symptoms of cancer or a heart problem that otherwise might have severely compromised a patient’s quality of life provide a feeling he will never forget.  “It reinforces why you committed to the profession – you’re not going to get that feeling in retirement,” says Dr. Waltz.  He is thankful for those opportunities and optimistic he will find other ways to help improve people’s lives, even if less dramatic.

Even so, retirement promises unique memories and experiences for Dr. Waltz, who has been a fixture in the Rockville community for many years beyond his medical practice.  Over the years, his contributions have ranged from teaching future medical providers to volunteering service with Boy Scouts, Rotary Club, Rockville First United Methodist Church, Rockville Town Council, and others. In all activities, he hoped to make the Rockville-Parke County Community a better place for future generations to live. 

The well-lit, inviting sidewalks along US 41, Howard Ave, and Market Street are an improvement Dr Waltz was instrumental in constructing. They will continue to provide opportunities for improved physical and mental health through activity as well as add value to the infrastructure. The ADA accessibility equally benefits all. It is satisfying to observe parents with kids in strollers, folks in wheelchairs/scooters, and kids on bikes utilizing the walks in daily activities along with others just walking somewhere.

We at Valley Professionals are grateful for Dr. Waltz’s years of service and wish him all the best in his retirement. Dr. Waltz is appreciative of Lindsay Gregg, Amy Reed, and Haeli Smith, staff of VPCHC, who wrote this article after talking with him.