Dr. Thomas Putnam joins
TRC’s Primary Care office

Dr Thomas Putnam is the newest addition to The Resource Center’s Primary Care office at 890 East Second Street in Jamestown.  He joins Dr. Adnan Munir, Dr. Mumtaz Karimi and staff.

“I’m very glad to be here,” said Dr. Putnam.  “People have been kind and very welcoming.”

He started in mid-February and came to TRC from Lakeshore Hospital in Irving, where he spent 10 years as an emergency room physician.  Prior to that, he was an ER physician at Brooks Memorial Hospital in Dunkirk for three years.

“I just decided it was time to leave emergency room medicine.  My original training was in family practice, and I felt I should get back to that,” Dr. Putnam said.  “Plus, the hours were getting long and my new office here is closer to home, where I can now be better involved in the community where I live.”

Dr. Putnam lives in Kennedy, grew up in rural Western New York and went to high school in Forestville.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Houghton College and obtained his doctorate from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in the Bronx.  He completed his residency at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Utica.

He is licensed by New York State and certified by the American Board of Family Practice and the American Academy of Family Physicians.  He is also a certified trauma life support and cardiac life support provider.

“Having the opportunity to work with a local physician who is familiar with the needs of our community and familiar with our region is invaluable,” said Stephen Riczker, TRC’s director of health and health-related services.  “Dr. Putnam brings many years of experience and knowledge to The Resource Center’s Health Services.  I think our patients will find that he is a great listener and that he has a very thorough approach to treatment.”

Dr. Putnam also spent time in South Dakota working and conducting research on diabetes among the Sioux people.

“It was a great experience, and I feel privileged to have lived there.  It is a tough and needy area, and I guess people in need has always been a calling.”

That calling has taken Dr. Putnam overseas as well, as part of a mission hospital supported by Wesleyan Church.  He spent two years in Haiti and four years in Africa.

“These are countries that have to carefully decide how to use their healthcare dollars, as Africa experiences a high child mortality rate, where kids die from measles and diarrhea.  It’s tough to get just basic, life-saving vaccines.  The people there are very grateful for health care, and they don’t take it for granted at all.  I certainly came back with a different outlook.”

It’s those trips overseas and that different outlook that Dr. Putnam says played into his desire to work for TRC. 

“I was attracted to TRC because of its mission, caring in part for the underserved and for those marginalized in our society.  I’ve always been interested in other cultures, and I am now working on my Spanish.”

While he admits learning the new Electronic Medical Records system is an adjustment, he does look forward to also spending part of his time overseeing TRC’s School Based Health Centers in Jamestown High School and Pine Valley Central School.

“In the ER, you miss out on who the patients are, as you only see them for a short time and then you dismiss them.  Here, I will be able to become a regular part of a patient’s life.”

In his spare time, Dr. Putnam is a bit of a guitarist and vocalist.  He also enjoys reading, being involved in his church and working out in the woods.

The Resource Center’s Primary Care office always welcomes new patients, and many TRC employees use TRC's Primary Care office.  For more information or to schedule an appointment, phone 661-1447.