Ask Kirsten Balin what a typical day looks like at Advanced Medical Care, and she'll probably laugh.
"There really isn't one," she says. "One hour we might be removing a fishhook, treating a sick child, or doing a sports physical. The next we're completing firefighter physicals, managing chronic disease, or helping someone work through a new diagnosis."
That variety is exactly what she loves.
Advanced Medical Care (AMC) is a locally owned family medicine, urgent care, occupational health, and wellness clinic serving Klamath Falls and the surrounding rural communities. The clinic provides primary care, same-day urgent care, women's health, pediatrics, occupational medicine, DOT and firefighter physicals, weight management, and aesthetic services—all with the goal of making high-quality healthcare available close to home.
Whether someone needs a same-day urgent visit, long-term primary care, or an annual firefighter physical, the goal is the same: to provide healthcare that feels personal, practical, and available when people need it most.
For Kirsten, that philosophy has shaped every decision she's made since joining AMC. Medicine, she believes, is about more than treating illness—it's about solving problems, building relationships, and finding practical ways to improve healthcare in rural communities.
A Clinic Built for the Community
When Kirsten joined forces with Dr. Jay Brunswick in 2023, they brought with them years of emergency medicine experience—and a shared belief that Klamath Falls needed another option for accessible primary care.
"In the emergency department we saw the same problem over and over," she says. "People couldn't find primary care, appointments were months away, or they had nowhere else to go. We wanted to help fill that gap."
She became part owner in 2024.
A fifth-generation member of the Klamath Basin herself, the work is deeply personal.
"I've always wanted to take care of the community that helped raise me," she says. "People shouldn't have to drive hours to receive good healthcare."
Relationships That Last
The variety of care at AMC is one of the things Kirsten enjoys most.
"One morning we might be stitching up a ranch injury, then helping a young family establish primary care, and by the afternoon we're completing firefighter physicals," she says. "That's what I love about family medicine. Every day is different."
The clinic cares for children, parents, grandparents, ranchers, teachers, business owners, and first responders alike.
"For me, one of the greatest rewards is taking care of entire families. We may see a child for a sports physical, help their parents manage diabetes or high blood pressure, and later care for grandparents as well. Watching those relationships grow over the years is incredibly meaningful."
Whether the patient is a newborn, a rancher, a farmer, or a firefighter, the philosophy stays the same.
"Healthcare isn't one-size-fits-all. Every patient has a different story, different priorities, and different challenges. Our job is to meet people where they are. We want to treat people—not just diagnoses."
Looking Beyond the Clinic Walls
Caring for patients remains the heart of AMC, but Kirsten is equally passionate about finding ways to strengthen healthcare across rural Oregon.
That drive has led the clinic to expand occupational medicine, develop comprehensive firefighter health programs focused on cancer prevention and early detection, and explore new ways to improve healthcare access for students and underserved communities.
It also inspired her to establish the Frontier Health Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to advancing rural healthcare through education, community partnerships, and innovative programs. Built around the belief that geography should never determine health outcomes, the Foundation works to bring practical solutions to rural communities—from expanding firefighter health initiatives and cancer screening to supporting student health programs and increasing access to preventive care.
She enjoys the challenge of building something new.
"If there's a need in our community, I don't like stopping at, 'Someone should do something,'" she says. "I start asking, 'How can we make this happen?'"
Outside the clinic, Kirsten and her husband are raising their family while helping operate the family farm and ranch—an experience that keeps her closely connected to many of the people she cares for every day.
Caring for Neighbors
As Advanced Medical Care continues to grow, Kirsten hopes the clinic remains known for the same thing it has always tried to provide: accessible, compassionate healthcare delivered by people who genuinely know their patients.
"We're incredibly grateful for the trust our community has placed in us," she says. "Independent, locally owned clinics exist because communities choose to support them, and we never take that for granted. Healthcare continues to change, but one thing won't. We want every person who walks through our doors to feel heard, cared for, and treated like family."
