The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The arrival of a nurse practitioner should complete the staffing of the Cowlitz Family Practice Clinic office in Cathlamet, clinic staff said this week.

Kathryn Harshman, NP, has joined the clinic to work with Dr. Del Gardner as the lead practioners of the clinic.

A native of Florida, Harshman moved to Washington when she was 17. She graduated from high school and studied to be a nurse. After six years as a nurse, she decided to advance her skills and became a nurse practitioner. She has worked two years in that role.

She said she enjoys working with families and patients. She had been working in physical therapy and rehabilitation.

"I wanted to get back to primary care for a while," she said.

Harshman and her husband, Bruce, are living in Longview but looking for a house in the Cathlamet area. He has been working on his nursing degree but is now a caregiver for his mother. They are expecting their first child in December.