Dr. Deborah A. Sutcliffe, MD

I knew two things from a young age—I wanted to take care of people and I wanted a home town. At first, I wanted to be a nurse (loved my Cherry Ames Nurse books) but then I learned that girls can be doctors too! Quick change of plans-I wanted to be a doctor! As an Army brat, I never had a home town since we moved every year or two, and I wanted desperately to belong somewhere.

Fast forward 20 years and here I was in Red Bluff with a brand new medical degree, a new husband, and a home town. I grew up all over the United States, and also lived overseas—elementary school in Germany, high school in the Philippines. While I truly appreciate the world view and myriad of experiences such moves gave me, I always longed for a place to call home, quirks and all.

I learned that I didn’t like a lot of snow and ice, and a view of mountains was a must. And I would much rather be a small fish in a small pond, so when St. Elizabeth Community Hospital contacted me, everything felt right. I joined Red Bluff Medical Center in September, 1993. Five years later, while I was on maternity leave, my partners decided to close the practice leaving me without a job.

When I finally had slept through the night again, I had a decision—join a big group or go out on my own. Since I had accepted that I had “control freak” tendencies, I opted to open my own solo practice—bucking the trend towards consolidation. This worked for almost 18 years; I was able to provide the personalized attention to my patients that I believe is so important.

Government and insurance companies increasingly interfered with my ability to continue to practice medicine the way I believe it should be done—one patient at a time, over time. It is all about “population management”, “efficiency”, and “metrics”. I was burning out, getting angry and frustrated, losing the joy of taking care of my neighbors and friends, So I decided to re-invent my practice yet again, finding a way to make it work for both me and my patients.

I ditched the insurance companies and joined the rebel DPC (Direct Patient Care) movement—very akin to the “slow food” movement we see growing amongst the farmers and foodies in the North State. Work directly for the patient, provide superior care, enhanced access, and TIME! Time with the doctor, time saved by not waiting in the waiting room, time for me to think and coordinate my patients’ care Background data on me: I graduated from Pitzer College in Claremont, CA in 1986 with Honors in Psychobiology.

Went on to the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI for my first two years of medical school (where I met my future hubby, Eric Rudnick) then transferred out of that frigid city to UCLA School Of Medicine where I was awarded my MD in 1990.

I then spent three long years in Northridge, CA doing my residency in Family Practice before I was able to escape the Valley and move to Red Bluff! I am Board Certified in Family Medicine and have been on staff at St. Elizabeth’s since 1993, including a stint as Chief of Staff, and currently am on the Medical Division Committee and Ethics Committee. I have spent time on the site councils of local schools, community board of First 5 Tehama and continue to volunteer for Girl Scouts.

I have two smart and sassy daughters who are both in college and a patient husband who hardly wakes up now when my pager/phone goes off in the night. I love to travel and love to come back home! I look forward to drinking wine with my book club ladies as we rehash books of all genres (although my favorite are fantasy/science fiction and romantic novels). And I am excited about medicine again!