JRMC patient finds knee pain relief close to home

LaDon “Bubba” Smith was home a few hours after Jamestown Regional Medical Center cleaned up a torn meniscus and inflamed tissue in his knee on June 4. For the North Dakota Department of Transportation equipment operator and assistant fire chief for the Kensal Fire District, the rapid turnaround ended years of pain that had started to crowd out fishing, walking and the volunteer work he did for his community.

Smith had managed the problem for years with cortisone injections before scheduling an appointment in early May. He expected surgery to be months away. Instead, Dr. Roxanne Keene evaluated the knee, identified the tear and inflamed tissue, and moved the case quickly enough that the procedure was set for June 4.

JRMC is using Smith’s case to show how orthopedic care can be delivered close to home in a county where distance matters. The medical center says its orthopedic services include total joint replacements, knee arthroscopy and fracture repair, and it has made same-day recovery part of its public message in other patient stories as well, including one about Valley City resident Dale Sather in January 2026. The hospital also said in 2025 that its knee and hip replacement quality matched leading national orthopedic centers.

That message lands in Stutsman County, which was organized in 1873, has a population of 21,593 and covers 2,298 square miles, making it North Dakota’s second-largest county by area. In a county that large, a trip for specialty care can mean time away from work, family and volunteer responsibilities, especially for people in rural communities who already face fewer transportation options and less access to specialized care.

JRMC said Dr. Keene was one of the first female orthopedic surgeons in North Dakota and joined the medical center in early January after an announcement in December 2024. The hospital’s orthopedic profile presents her as part of a broader push to keep more procedures in Jamestown rather than sending patients elsewhere.

The same local logic applies beyond one knee. A firefighter or road worker who can get treated and recover quickly stays on the job and stays available when the county needs him. North Dakota Health and Human Services says the state is pursuing a rural health transformation effort expected to bring in $1 billion over five years, a sign that access to care in places like Kensal and Jamestown remains a live issue, not a distant policy idea.