Country doc, William Cuskelly, leaving Libby

After nearly a quarter of a century of practicing medicine in Libby, Dr. William Cuskelly is taking down his shingle and moving on to a new opportunity.

Cuskelly came to Libby in 1991 and has practiced as a “country doc” in the truest sense of the term. For Cuskelly, Libby has been more than a place to hang his shingle, it’s been an important part of his life, it’s been home.

Life is about change, though, and for Cuskelly it’s time to walk away, to try something new and refresh. He’s moving to southeastern Utah to work with Utah Navajo Health Services. “I’m pushing 60,” he said. “I figure I’ve got 10 years of practicing medicine left in me, so it’s time to change it up, get reinvigorated.”

With his children grown and out of the house, Cuskelly and his wife decided to make the move. For Cuskelly the move is a return to his roots. He started his career in medicine, before going to medical school, teaching health aides in Eskimo villages in remote parts of Alaska. “Now it’s full-circle and I’m at a place where I can give something back, so it’s time,” he said.

He recalled a story from his early days in Libby, sitting at the nurses’ station in the hospital when an ambulance call came in. “I heard the address,” he said, “and realized that I knew them.”

The caller was the husband of a pregnant woman, a patient of Dr. Cuskelly’s. “I get on a landline, because we didn’t have cell phones back then. I asked him ‘what the hell is going on?’”

The woman was in labor, but the ambulance was still a ways out. Cuskelly talked the man through the situation and delivered a baby, by telephone. Both mom and baby, he said, were healthy and happy – and the husband didn’t pass out.

Cuskelly practices medicine from the old school primary care perspective, focusing on the health of the whole person. He’s a family doctor, with many of his patients being the children of current and former patients. He delivered many of his patients, has cared for them for most of their lives and is now caring for their children, like the one delivered over the phone.

“Health care,” Cuskelly said, “is a very intimate relationship and it works a whole lot better when you have familiarity and faith and trust with that person sitting across from you. The beauty of that is that you have continuity of care throughout a person’s lifespan. You’re delivering kids, taking care of the parents, and taking care of grandma.”

That trust is something the doctor has spent decades building in Libby, and with it comes a respect that flows both ways. Even while planning his departure, Cuskelly expressed his respect for the people and community of Libby.

“Through all the bad press the town’s gone through, they still have a very generous spirit and heart that’s just unbelievable to watch. They come together when they need to, as we just witnessed this past weekend,” he said, referencing the benefit that was held to raise money for the family of a local man battling cancer.

“And there’s always been that here, as much negativity as there’s been, there’s always been those positives.”

Cuskelly said that he will miss the environment of Lincoln County. An avid outdoorsman, he spends time enjoying all that the area has to offer. From hiking in the Cabinets, to hunting and fishing and skiing on Turner Mountain, “this is just a great spot,” he said. “But the biggest thing I’ll miss is my relationships with the people.”

For several years Cuskelly has played his harp, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and other “stuff with strings” with a variety of local musicians.

Cuskelly estimated he’s played with 14 separate musical groups during his time in Libby. As part of a farewell this past weekend, nine of them reunited and put on a bit of a show. “That’s been an absolutely crucial part of my life here, all the people I’ve played music with over the years.”

“Cumulative, over years, and that’s what makes the decision to leave so difficult. I had the privilege of being involved in so many people’s lives here, but my attitude is that I’ve gotten more from this community than I ever gave.”

The doctor’s parting message for Libby and his patients and friends here was, “Stay healthy. Exercise, eat well and stay healthy. Put me out of work.”