I've been searching for a knowledgeable primary care doctor. He's taken the time to listen to me…read morewhile dealing with my chatty kids in the exam room, which takes the patience of a saint. Whenever I bring up a concern, he's quick to access and find a way to fix it. He's great. (:

I requested medical leave in 2017 and again as I type this post due to clinical depression &…read moregeneralized anxiety disorder; in which Dr. Heatwole made difficult. In order to have both leaves approved, he mentioned that I'd have to take meds and stay in therapy. I didn't have a problem with the therapy; but the medicine I did. My problems and what exacerbated this disorder, I knew medicine could and would never fix. Sure, I tried the Escitalopram even after being scared eand advised to take it as prescribed by Dr. Heatwole; and it helped the anxiety more than it did the depression. However, as I'd mentioned once before to him, the deep seated issues that I've been struggling with continued to take precedence over top of being in a toxic work environment. I also explained to Dr. Heatwole that I'd previously and still continue to fail at finding work from home positions or a job that would be more suitable, as I just could not simply just quit my job. Dr. Heatwole just glossed over the root issues and continued to stay heavily focused on taking medicine over top of suggesting even more medication to stabilize my sleep and mood. I really didn't like the fact that I was pressured and rushed to go back to work. In 2017 after an 8 week leave, I still wasn't well and went back anyway because he 'thought' it was best. Of course, I still felt worse than ever. My last appointment for leave was the absolute worse. I mentioned that I'd lost my brother last September, lost 30 pounds in less than a year; and he had absolutely no remorse. He told me that in 8 months (counting with his fingers), a typical person would have gotten over losing someone!!!! He also mentioned that I needed to be careful exercising, and that people with my condition take this whole weight loss and exercising thing too far. I never mentioned an eating or any body dismorphic issues, so I don't know how my comment that I lost 30 pounds went to him saying that I needed to be careful exercising. A good doctor would applaud their patient for better lifestyle choices and losing weight to stay within a recommended weight range. Also, it is highly suggested for individuals with mental health issues to exercise, so I did not understand why Dr. Heatwole would say that, despite that I didn't mention anything alarming. I was actually 28 pounds overweight prior to losing the 30 pounds, and was severely emotionally eating from 2-3 fast food meals A DAY, still no brownie points there. This time around, he suggested me to go back to work in 4 weeks because as he mentioned, "We sort of need to kind of rush this thing to get you back to work as soon as possible, because I don't want you in the house by yourself thinking about all of your problems"....well hell, being at work makes it feel like I've entered eternal damnation with my thoughts! It doesn't matter where I am, mental illness isn't just a switch to turn off! It should never be about what a doctor wants, it's about the patient's well-being and what a patient feels would be best for them. I cannot work a demanding and toxic job that has greatly contributed to me not healing or feeling any better, and I really didn't know what else to tell him. Anyone with mental illness know that it's a chronic and sometimes a life-long issue. I have been struggling for over 16 years. Dr. Heatwole seems to think that medicine would help me to cope better, and that did not happen considering the layers of stress and rooted issues were always at the forefront. It seems as if he no longer wants me as a patient based off of my last visit with those crude comments. No worries there, I won't be going back to him. Sure as he mentioned, he's been doing this for a long time and 'know' patients like me. Well, it's not right to compare patients to one another even if we struggle with the same thing. Everybody's path and level of emotional pain is different. For over 6 years, I had been seeing Dr. Heatwole and recommended him to a few peers; because of his thoroughness during previous visits. If it wasn't for how he handled these two medical leaves, I would continue to stay a patient. Perhaps he no longer has the patience to deal with my mental disorders, and surely being a sufferer, I do not either.

While the doctor is personable and pleasant her staff are incompetent and abominable I was very ill…read moreand the earliest appointment she offered the rude and condescending receptionist was late January 2025 we were in Late October . I had already been to emergency clinic in any event she hung up on me when I begged to see the doctor sooner then lied in my chart in Her notes that she had offered me an appointment ya right in 3 months I had to go for an emergency colonoscopy and endoscopy being a liver transplant patient I suggest if you want to be treated like a piece of meat go to a butcher shop

I want to preface my review by saying that my wife and I have been patients at the West End…read moreInternal Medicine practice for over 10 years and were happy with the practitioners there. However, during that time, we had our practitioners change four times due to them leaving the practice. Unfortunately, our latest provider recently left the practice and we have been told we cannot continue to be seen there as nobody is taking "new" patients. We do not consider ourselves to be new patients since we have been going there for the past decade or more. Now we are trying to find a new practitioner in the Richmond area (with little success) and that leaves us without medicine refills, etc. This is certainly no way to run a practice and it is extremely disappointing, to say the least.