2014 Health Care Champions Honoree: Dr. Devon Jarvis

Willard native Dr. Devon Jarvis left home with a plan to return with the necessary skills to fill a need he recognized in the community.

“I wanted the residents of my community and the surrounding communities to have access to state-of-the-art care,” the optometrist says. “I wanted them to have local health care that met or exceeded the care available in Springfield.”

He established Jarvis Family Eye Center LLC in his home town in 2005 to treat a wide variety of patients, “no matter where they live or what their financial situation.”

During the past nine years, Jarvis has granted care to patients whose other options would have been urgent care or emergency room visits. He also makes visits to patients’ homes and assisted living residences and consults with health and learning staff at local school districts.

“My motivation has always been to improve the community that I live in,” Jarvis says. “One of my favorite things about my job is seeing the look of a child as he regains full vision following treatment with glasses or contacts or as they see a huge improvement in their school achievement and improved education and learning ... or the look of an older patient who is able to return to contact lenses after being told for years by previous doctors that they can’t.”

It’s a win, as well, for Springfield health care providers, such as CoxHealth and Mercy, who often send referrals on eye injuries and diabetic exams to Jarvis’ office.

A passion for his craft also has led Jarvis to get involved in after-work activities for the benefit of his community.

Jarvis has worked with local, state and national groups to promote eye care and vision health, especially for children. He is a former vice president of the Greater Ozarks Optometric Association and member of the Missouri Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association, organizations seeking to promote and educate the importance of eye care for children’s education.

“In my opinion, eye care is so much more than 20/20 vision,” Jarvis says. “It’s about helping children learn.

“Although I practice in a small community, I feel I have made an impact on the overall care of individuals and families all over southwest Missouri.”

Jarvis also is highly active in Willard-area civic work, serving as former board president of the city’s chamber of commerce and as a member of its school district’s board of directors.

He’s working to provide vision screenings for the seven elementary, two middle and three high schools in Willard, Ash Grove, Bois D’Arc and Walnut Grove, as well as free and reduced care via the Willard Lions Club, Willard Care to Learn chapter and the Willard Children’s Charitable Foundation.

“I don’t think anyone should be limited on their health care options because of where they live or because of their financial status,” Jarvis says. “I have had multiple patients provide stories to state legislators about how their children’s lives have been changed by proper eye care.”[[In-content Ad]]