Phillip Harvey Shourds, Jr. is St. Luke’s New Years’ baby

RONAN — The first baby born in Lake County in 2013, arrived at 11:55 a.m. on January 1. That was almost a week ahead of the scheduled due date.

But when labor pains started about 4 o’clock on Tuesday morning, Kendra Kenmille and Phillip Shourds figured it would be a good idea to make the drive from their Elmo home to St. Luke Community Hospital in Ronan - just in case.

When Phillip Harvey Shourds, Jr., arrived by C-section shortly before noon, he weighed in at 5 lbs., 15 ozs. and was 18” long. He becomes Kendra Kenmille’s seventh child and the eleventh sibling in the couple’s blended family.

Dr. John Williams delivered the first baby of the New Year winning high praise from the new baby’s father. “We like Dr. Williams - he’s a good doctor,” Phillip, Sr. says. He adds, “They have taken good care of us and that’s why we came to (the) Ronan (hospital).”

Dr. Williams is one of five physicians who are board certified in family practice and obstetrics at St. Luke.

Steve Todd, Chief Operating Officer at St. Luke, notes, “The fact that we currently have five excellent physicians providing obstetrics, mom’s-to-be more have choices as to who they want providing obstetrical care.” Todd adds that Dr. John Foster will be joining the medical staff at the Ronan clinic the first of February. He becomes the sixth doctor board certified in family practice and obstetrics at St. Luke.

Physicians who currently perform obstetrics at the Ronan hospital are Drs. Paul Gochis, Cara Harrop and John Williams at St. Luke Community Clinic in Polson; and, Drs. Hikmat Maaliki and Ed Vizcarra in the St. Luke Community Clinic in Ronan.

Since Phillip Shourds, Jr., holds the distinction of being the first baby born in Lake County in 2013, he and his family have received a gift basket with certificates for goods and services from twenty-six merchants in Polson, Ronan, Pablo and St. Ignatius. The value of the gift certificates in the basket totaled nearly $600.