The recipient of the The Picayune’s 2015 Locals Love Us favorite doctor for the Marble Falls area is Dr. Juliette Madrigal (third from left). Pictured at the new location of Madrigal’s medical practice, 105 Meadowlakes Drive in Meadowlakes, are Lindsay Crawford (left), Nohemi Medina, Madrigal, Jannet Medina and Edlin Aguilar. Staff photo by Connie Swinney
MARBLE FALLS — For Dr. Juliette Madrigal, longtime patients and a dedicated staff are what make her medical practice one of her life's greatest joys.
"I would never work anywhere else. I love the way the community is. People watch out for one another. You get to watch people over time grow and change," she said.
“I have the greatest staff. They’re full of joy. They’re always happy, and they like coming to work and taking care of people," she added. "They have a sense that they are actually important, helping people in the long term and with their health.”
And that’s why The Picayune readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners voted Madrigal the 2015 Locals Love Us favorite doctor for the Marble Falls area.
Madrigal has had a general medical practice in Marble Falls for 12 years.
"I like the family aspect. I like that our patients are like family. We know a lot about them," she said. "It makes it fun to see people grow up, to take care of people you started seeing as children and to really be a part of people’s lives.”
Along with her duties as a family physician, she is the Burnet County Health Authority and the medical director for Marble Falls Area EMS and Marble Falls Fire Rescue.
She recently moved from her signature office, a renovated home on Avenue H, to a new facility that she shares with Dr. Paul Carstens at 105 Meadowlakes Drive in Meadowlakes.
"We were so busy. We were running out of space," she said. “It’s grown exponentially."
But it's not all about work for Madrigal. She has a wonderful family with whom she likes to travel and spend time.
She and her husband, Hans Dersch, have two children: 16-year-old Helena and 18-year-old Hunter.
“My family is very supportive. On their day off from school, you’ll see them here. If they’re here and some kid gets sick, they’ll help clean it up," she said. "They make it so my job doesn’t seem like it’s taking away from the family but adding to it. That’s very helpful.”
Her family also makes time to help others.
“We like to take in kids. We often have two or more kids, either exchange students or kids who are in need that need a place to stay," she said.
When she's not working, Madrigal finds time for herself on the trapeze. She practices the static, arc and flying styles of the activity.
"I do like Cirque du Soleil stuff," said Madrigal, referring to a Las Vegas-style show that features gymnastics, contortionists, balancing acts and high-flying acrobatics.
“I like doing things where, when you’re doing them, you can’t think of anything else because this job can be very stressful," she said. "It keeps me distracted and keeps me from going insane, so I keep doing it."
Just like her love for her pasttime and her family, she is steadfast in her commitment to her medical practice.
“We take care of a really wide variety of people here. We take care of millionaires, and we take care of migrant workers. We treat everybody the same, and everybody is a VIP,” she said. “You’re put here on the planet to help other people. We take that job seriously. For me, it’s just to whom much is given much is expected. I really try to live my life that way. I remember that every day.”
connie@thepicayune.com
