Doctor retires after 3 decades in Grinnell

GRINNELL — UnityPoint Health-Grinnell Regional Medical Center says goodbye this month to Dr. Clayton Francis who spent his 30-year healthcare career in Grinnell.

Francis cared for thousands of patients during his career, providing compassionate and personalized care to patients, families and communities, Grinnell Regional said in a press release.

Following a three-year medical residency at the University of Minnesota’s North Memorial Hospital and Clinic site and four years in a family practice clinic in Monticello, Minnesota, Francis joined the Grinnell medical community in 1994, when an opportunity at Grinnell College brought his family to the area.

Francis established a family practice clinic, providing comprehensive patient care to all ages, including obstetric and pediatric services.

In 2011, Francis joined the Grinnell Regional emergency department staff, offering emergency services to those in the area with the most critical medical needs. In his final four years of practice, Francis served at the UnityPoint Health — Grinnell Manatt Walk-In Clinic.

Francis was an active member of Grinnell Regional’s medical staff and held multiple leadership positions, including family medicine and emergency department section chief, president elect and medical staff president.

Francis will conclude 37 years as a practicing physician at the end of May.