Help for Dr. Whisman and Sebastopol Urgent Care

Dear Community of Sonoma County,

Sebastopol Urgent Care and Dr. Kathleen Whisman are asking for your support in this time of need.

Sadly, in mid-February, Dr. Whisman was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and has been unable to work. She has been serving our community as a family practice physician in Sonoma County for more than twenty-five years and is known for the way she cares for her patients: she listens, responds with kindness and gives generously of her time. It is impossible to walk a block in Sebastopol with Dr. Whisman without running into a current or former patient. She is always met with love and appreciation. The breadth of her care is wide and her impact on our lives is vast.

Sebastopol Urgent Care was founded in August, 2021 by Dr. Kathleen Whisman and Dr. Libby Flower. Coming from corporate health care, both doctors realized the urgent need for a return to health care that is attentive, accessible and effective. Sebastopol Urgent Care is a freestanding Urgent Care facility and is not funded by the federal government or a large corporation.

Working eleven hour days, seven days a week, Dr. Whisman and Dr. Flower answer the call for our medical needs. They provide personable, professional and thorough health care for both their private practices and Sebastopol Urgent Care. They assist patients with illnesses or injuries on a walk-in basis. Their high quality of care is highly needed in our community. In nine months, Sebastopol Urgent Care has helped thousands of patients: helping with routine physical checkups, skin lacerations, Covid testing and life-threatening conditions that could have gone unnoticed in a busy Emergency Room.

In response to the cancer, Dr. Whisman is currently enrolled in an aggressive treatment program at UCSF and is spending 100% of her time and energy on recovery. It has been an extremely difficult time for her, stepping out of her role as the doctor and into the role as a patient. Since Dr. Whisman’s diagnosis, Dr. Flower has been working seven days a week to cover all their patient and urgent care needs.

This GoFundMe has been started to support Sebastopol Urgent Care and Dr. Whisman. Your contributions will cover many financial obligations for the next six months, preventing the closure of the Urgent Care Center. It will contribute to a second doctor to be hired to support Dr. Flower and will allow Dr. Whisman to heal, knowing that Sonoma County can continue to receive the health care it needs.

Dr. Whisman’s goal is to return to work in Fall of 2022. Meanwhile, Dr. Misty Zelk and Dr. Flower are covering her concierge practice. Let’s show her how much we have appreciated who she is and the role she has played in our lives, by helping Sebastopol Urgent Care in her absence.