Dr. Mike Young celebrates 45 years in Prescott

By Staff, 07/2/20 1:50 PM

PRESCOTT – Recently, Dr. Mike Young and the Prescott Family Clinic celebrated a milestone – 45-years of operation in Prescott.

Young said a quiet celebration was held at the clinic with cookies, cupcakes and punch. However, the biggest part of the celebration was taking the afternoon off.

Young was born in Fayetteville where his father was in college. His dad got a job with the UA Extension Service and headed to Nashville for his first duty station. Naturally, he brought his family along. The family moved around from one place  to another with the Extension Service. Eventually, though, Mike Young returned to Fayetteville where he went to college. After graduation, he headed to Little Rock to attend medical school.

In 1975, John Brannon, Sr. and Roland Culp were holding a recruitment effort to get doctors to come to Prescott. Young, along with two others, visited, liked what they saw, bought three acres and built an office – where the Prescott Family Clinic has always been. “The community leaders worked to make it ,” he said happen, adding it doesn’t seem like it’s been 45 years until he looks at his children and realizes it has.

Dr. Young plans to keep doing what he’s done these last four-and-a-half decades, going one-day-at-a-time. “I have no plans to retire. I’m reasonably healthy, I like what I do, I’m good at it and cna make a living, so why quit.”

Young has been a member of the Prescott Rotary Club more than 40 years, being recruited by Ed Smith. He and his wife, Bo, have a place at Suckles Lake and their own deer camp. He said he’ll be returning to First United Methodist Church when services are held again. In the interim, he’ll continue working at the clinic and raising his sheep. He and Bo have a flock of 29 in the Boughton Community the raise for slaughter. He said three or four of the withers will be ready in a couple of months as they need to be between 50-60 pounds before they’re slaughtered for the table.

Dr. Young is also a fixture at the Nevada County Fair’s livestock premium sale where he “buys” several animals to help the youngsters who raised them.

Jamie Hillery, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, said it’s  been exciting having him in Prescott and Nevada County these last 45  years as the community has come to love and trust him. “I wish we could have had a celebration,” she said. “When things calm down we’ll do something to celebrate.” Hillery said it’s great that Dr. Young has been able to do well and maintain a lot of clients. “This is a great accomplishment.”

Mary Godwin, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, agreed saying she’d also like to celebrate this milestone. Godwin said the community is blessed to have a doctor commit to having a lifelong practice in a small, rural area, providing state-of-the-art medical care for the citizens. “I applaud Dr. Young and the Prescott Family Clinic for being a positive influence in he community.”

She pointed out he’s a member of Rotary, the FUMC and sponsors a baseball team every year. He also works with Leadership Nevada County and “too many other things to mention”. When it comes to economic development, she said, it’s a challenge to find a doctor who’ll come to a rural community and commit to staying there when they have the opportunity to go to larger cities and hospitals and make more money, while putting in fewer hours.

Nevada County Judge Mark Glass said Dr. Young has been a fixture in Prescott all of his life, and he’s glad Young made Prescott his home. “As far back as I can recall,” Glass said, “he’s been here.”

Prescott Mayor Terry Oliver said Dr. Young could have gone anywhere, but he’s glad the doctor came to Prescott and stayed. “A lot of people like him and I’m sure glad he’s here. It’s hard to get and keep a doctor in small town America,” he said. “Prescott has done well over the years keeping good doctors.”