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NATALIE COOPER, M.D.,
Kootenai Clinic Wound Care
T E L L U S A L I T T L E
B I T A B O U T Y O U A N D
Y O U R F A M I L Y .
My husband, Ted, is a cardio-
thoracic surgeon with Northwest
Heart and Lung. We live in Hayden
Lake with our German shorthaired
pointer, who’s named Bunk.
W H Y D I D Y O U P I C K
Y O U R S P E C I A L T Y ?
I was drawn to the idea of helping
people regain their functional abili-
ties following injury and illness. I
especially enjoy working with the
amputee population, because they
are typically very determined and
NICOLE PELLY, M.D.,
Palliative Care
T E L L U S A L I T T L E
B I T A B O U T Y O U A N D
Y O U R F A M I L Y .
I grew up on a farm in Illinois and
have a large extended family. Now,
we have lived all over the U.S., but
believe in going home for big holi-
day gatherings! Lots of horse-drawn
sleigh rides and home-canned
food. I am married with a 4-year-
old son who reminds me daily how
exciting the world can be. To him,
an ambulance, fire truck or even
seeing a pickup truck makes a day
the best day ever.
W H Y D I D Y O U P I C K
Y O U R S P E C I A L T Y ?
Patients and their stories are the
cornerstone of medicine for me.
In palliative care, we help patients
navigate their health journey to fig-
ure out what decisions make sense
for them. We want their priorities to
be quality of life and making each
day really count. My background
before practicing palliative care
medicine was anesthesiology, so
motivated to get moving again.
I also enjoy helping people with
wound care because it can be such
a frustrating process for folks once
a wound develops. Helping them to
get it healed is very satisfying for
me.
W H A T C A N P A T I E N T S
E X P E C T W H E N T H E Y S H O W
U P F O R T H E I R F I R S T
A P P O I N T M E N T W I T H Y O U ?
I typically spend a lot of time
in a first appointment trying to
understand the whole picture of
their functional abilities, home
environment, family support, etc.,
so we can work together to define
functional goals that I can help
them achieve.
W H A T A R E S O M E
O F Y O U R H O B B I E S ?
I love yoga, walking and wake
surfing.
W H A T D R E W Y O U T O
K O O T E N A I H E A L T H ?
My husband and I both love the
Coeur d’Alene and Hayden area.
Kootenai Health is rapidly expand-
ing to serve the region’s needs, yet
still has a community hospital feel,
and I like that about it.
MEE T
OUR NEW
PROV I DERS
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