Martin's Point Family Physician is a World-Class Doctor in Mid-coast Maine

Roy Nakamura is a world-class doctor with small-town charm.

Perhaps that best explains why Dr. Nakamura, three years after arriving at Martin's Point Health Care in Bath, is regarded as one of the area's busiest, friendliest and most skilled family practice physicians.

"I want to be in touch with my patients, and that means I must be accessible. That's my commitment to them," Dr. Nakamura said. "I treat each individual patient like I would a relative or a member of my family because that's what I would want for my family."

That professional commitment with a personal touch has marked the medical life of Dr. Nakamura, 44, an Okinawa, Japan, native. Nakamura began his career on the West Coast before moving east to find a permanent home with his wife Anne in her native state of Maine. The couple and their three daughters - ages 11, 8 and 2 - reside in Brunswick.

Dr. Nakamura's bustling practice will find desperately needed breathing room in a new location this spring. Martin's Point facilities in Bath and Topsham are combining into a Brunswick office at Cook's Corner. The new location, set to open May 3, will be larger and have expanded services. Grand opening festivities are planned for May 22, where Dr. Nakamura and his colleagues from the center will meet and greet the community.

"It's an improvement all the way around - better for patients, better for the community and better for us," he said. "We're all looking forward to May 3."

For Nakamura, the move means he can continue to do what he does best - offer top-of- the-line medical care without compromising individual attention.

Dr. Nakamura's medical career began to take shape after he arrived in the United States in the mid-70s to study chemistry at the University of Washington in Seattle. While growing up in Japan, he had always looked up to the doctors in his community, but didn't set his mind on joining the profession until college.

"I always admired physicians and what they did, but never thought I had the ability to be one," he said. "It was like the kids who wanted to be an astronaut, something in a dream, but not realistic."

But as a chemistry student, he quickly learned he could do more with his aptitude for formulas. He enrolled in a pre-med program, setting his sights on medical school and becoming a doctor in a small town.

"That's what I wanted to do, and that's what I'm doing, so it's been very, very rewarding," he said.

His first position as a physician helped shape his career. For five years beginning in the mid-80s, he worked as a medical officer for the federal Indian Health Service, treating American Indians on reservations in Arizona and Oregon.

"I jumped at the chance," Dr. Nakamura recalled. "The opportunity was very rewarding, yet challenging, too. The hours were long, but it was great to fulfill a need and be able to practice what I learned in medical school while helping people. It also taught me how hard I was capable of working, nonstop for days and weeks." He also met his wife, Anne, a nurse, while working on a reservation.

The devoted, hands-on approach that Dr. Nakamura developed on the reservations has stayed with him to this day.

"I try to see and talk to every patient who needs me, even if it takes all day," he said. "I return the phone calls, I call the patient with the lab results. I see patients who need me when they need me - it's the way I feel I can best serve my community and my patients."

Later, after a fellowship at California's UCLA, Dr. Nakamura and his wife decided they didn't want to live in a big city. They settled in Madras, Oregon, a town of about 3,000 residents, where he again left his mark on the community and his patients and colleagues. But Anne, a fifth generation Mainer, grew homesick and the couple started making plans to relocate.

"Her parents received their medical care here at Martin's Point, so we came here," he said. "And the rest is history."

Dr. Nakamura arrived with impressive credentials, including an array of honors and a history of service to his community and his profession. He has been involved in hospice programs, served on town boards, taught sex education to junior high students and worked as a medical examiner. An accomplished athlete, Dr. Nakamura was even an Olympic-caliber judo competitor who nearly qualified for the Los Angeles games in 1984. He also has prepared and presented community programs on topics ranging from skin cancer, preventing heart disease and alcohol use among the elderly. Also, he has co-authored several articles on issues such as infant mortality and diabetes.

Dr. Nakamura's busy, committed lifestyle has continued in Maine. Board-certified by the American Board of Family Practice, he serves on the Credentials Committee of Mid Coast Hospital and volunteers as a member of the Coalition for Death and Dying.

Dr. Nakamura has no intention of slowing down or changing his work ethic after two decades practicing medicine. And for that, an ever-growing number of patients in the Bath- Brunswick area remain grateful.

Based in Portland at 331 Veranda St., Martin's Point Health Care also has clinics in Windham, Bath, Topsham and in Newington, N.H. Established in 1981, Martin's Point has a staff of 240 health care professionals, serving more than 45,000 patients in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, radiology, cardiology, mammography and other fields.

Martin's Point holds a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide health care services for retired military personnel and the dependents of active duty personnel. Martin's Point also accepts all major health plans and insurance, including but not limited to HealthSource, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Harvard Community Health Plan, Tufts Health Plan, Maine Partners, Champus, Tricare, Aetna, Cigna and NYLCare plans.

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