Local pediatric clinic celebrating 25 years

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Founder of Idaho Falls Pediatrics looks back on 25 years of operation

AMMON – Inside the Quidditch room, one of dozens of themed spaces in the 14,000-square-foot castle at 3067 Eagle Drive in Ammon where Idaho Falls Pediatrics does business, Dr. Ron Porter reflects on the company’s 25 years of operation.

The 59-year-old Idaho Falls man founded the practice in 2000 off Sunnyside and Holmes Avenue and was its sole physician early on. Today, he’s one of five doctors who meet daily with patients, and it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of his life.

“I like to see parents enjoying bringing their kids (to the office),” Porter tells EastIdahoNews.com. “I like to be able to help that enjoyment. When they’re stressed about an illness or something that’s going on with their development, I love to relieve that stress.”

Porter says celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary seems a bit unreal. He’s looking forward to celebrating with the community in some way, the details of which have not been finalized.

He couldn’t be happier about practicing medicine in eastern Idaho, and he’s amazed at how much they’ve grown over the years.

It all began in a little building off Sunnyside and Holmes Avenue in Idaho Falls on Jan. 2, 2000. Porter started the practice alone and started seeing patients.

He had graduated from medical school six years earlier and joined an existing practice for several years.

The decision to open his own pediatric clinic stemmed from his love of kids.

“In med school, I always enjoyed the rotations where there were kids involved,” Porter says. “When I did my OB-GYN rotation, we were delivering babies, and I was loving it. That moment when the baby is born, and you still need to be taking care of Mom, I just wanted to be with the baby. That’s when it dawned on me (to go into pediatrics).”

He was the sole physician at Idaho Falls Pediatrics for about 18 months before Dr. Scott Smith came on board. Together, they doubled the clinic’s workload.

Then in 2004, Dr. Joseph Moore became the third partner in the business.

The need for more space prompted them to move to a building on Coronado several years later.

“We were in that office for quite a while, and Dr. Mitchell Storts joined us over there,” Porter says.

Eventually, they added a building that resembles a schoolhouse on the west side of town when the Coronado building became inadequate.

Continued growth led to the development of the Eagle Drive location in Ammon. They broke ground on the building in 2019. It was completed in January the following year and opened in February.

RELATED | Idaho Falls Pediatrics opening new office in Ammon next month

Its unique design was intended to make going to the doctor fun for kids.

“We’ve always had murals on the wall and tried to make it kid friendly. We’ve gotten a little more creative with each building that we’ve done,” says Porter.

A fifth doctor, Dr. Ty Webb, joined the practice when the Ammon building opened in 2020. A sixth doctor is joining the business later this year.

Porter is grateful for the community’s support over the years and looks forward to continue serving patients in eastern Idaho.

“Our goal is just to provide good care for kids and help parents with those growing, developing children,” he says. “We love the community and it’s been a pleasure serving it.”

Idaho Falls Pediatrics is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday with a 6 p.m. closing time on Saturday.

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