Colona, IL - Katie Sowder, APRN, will be returning to serve Hammond-Henry Hospital’s Colona Clinic as a family nurse practitioner on June 30. She will be joined by a newly signed Hammond-Henry Hospital family practice physician, Dr. David Cook, in the fall. Both providers will be accepting new patients. An open house in Sowder’s honor is scheduled at the Colona Clinic, located at 1604 Cleveland Road, Colona, on June 11 from 4 to 6 pm. All interested are invited and encouraged to attend.

Sowder is currently serving Hammond-Henry Hospital’s Port Byron clinic, which will close on June 27.

“It has been my absolute pleasure caring for the Port Byron community. I have them to thank for making our office so successful,” said Sowder. “The move to Colona signifies growth that we could no longer accommodate in our Port Byron location. I'm excited to join the Colona office and expand on what we can offer our patients. It's an exciting move, and although I will miss our river view, I hope our patients join us on this journey!”

According to Colton Anderson, Hammond-Henry Hospital’s Clinics and Physician Recruitment Director, there were many factors that went into this decision to close the Port Byron facility, but the main reason was to eliminate consistent barriers to growth.

“Most prominently, we continue to experience limitations in finding an appropriately-sized space to serve our patients from inside Port Byron,” Anderson explained. “Our clinic in Colona immediately offers a more accessible atmosphere for Katie and her team to serve its community members. This move will also give Colona Clinic and Katie significant growth potential, overall improved depth in staffing, and improved resources and amenities.”

Furthering the need to make this change, Dr. Maxhn McCaw of Orion announced his plans to retire this summer, leaving that community without a provider. “With Katie serving Colona, she will provide an accessible option for Port Byron, Colona, and Orion residents by being in this centralized location. It’s never easy making a decision like this, but doing the best for our patients’ health and well-being is always our primary goal. I think this move will accomplish that goal.”

The Colona Clinic is currently open for walk-in hours Monday through Friday from 7 am to 7 pm and on Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm. Family practice hours in Colona will be announced at a later date.

Sowder’s medical specialties include family medicine, walk-in care, and sleep medicine. She has worked as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse within Hammond-Henry Hospital since November of 2012 and the Port Byron Clinic since November of 2020. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from Loyola University, Chicago.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 309.949.2999.