Dear Fellow OOIDA Members,

My name is Dr. John McElligott and I have been given permission by OOIDA President Jim Johnston to reach out to my fellow OOIDA members.  My staff at PDMD and I are very grateful for this opportunity to help PDMD be successful and we thank Jim and his staff from the bottom of our hearts.

Most of you have heard of Professional Driver Medical Depots (or PDMD for short).  Our providers and I have treated thousands upon thousands of truckers at our medical depots across the country.  I am happy to say that with the help of OOIDA and Nemo Entertainment, we have seen a positive difference in the health of our drivers.  We all hope you will keep up the momentum and continue to let us help you.

When fellow trucker Bill Godwin had the dream of helping drivers on the road by placing medical clinics near or in truck stops, his words fell on deaf ears.  I discussed Bill’s vision with him and began to see that we could make this dream a reality --- to the benefit of truckers across the country.  Ten years after talking with Bill, my family and a few good friends borrowed enough money to open the first PDMD in Knoxville, TN.  We then set our sights on West Memphis, AR.

In Arkansas, OOIDA helped fight the politicians in Little Rock to keep our doors open AND WE WON!  The medical board said drivers didn’t need these special facilities because they could go to physician offices across Arkansas.  We knew this wouldn’t work.  Most long-haul truckers spend an average of 240 nights away from home during a year.  How are drivers supposed to do their job and find a physician while they’re on the road?  Drivers believed in the PDMD concept and showed up to fight.  When 20 trucks parked in the lot of the office of the president of the medical board, the board took notice and changed its mind.  These drivers made the difference!

OOIDA has long been an advocate of PDMDs.  They have helped us fight and they have helped us get the word out to drivers.  In addition, we have been advocates for you and for OOIDA.  On many occasions we have travelled to Washington, D.C. to help educate bureaucrats about the health and safety of drivers that keep our country moving.  Sad to say, most of them don’t have a clue about what it takes to keep the goods on the shelves!

Having said all of that, PDMD is struggling right now and we need your help to survive these difficult times.  Just like many of you, PDMD has been affected by our declining economy.  We have fallen many times, but by the Grace of God and you drivers, we have managed to survive week-to-week and month-to-month.

What it boils down to is this.  PDMD is at a turning point.  It can be successful or it can fail.  We believe the clinics are a critical component for good driver health.  We are simply asking that when you have a choice, you choose to get care at the PDMD.  Preventative maintenance is just as important for you as it is for your rig.  We only treat drivers and we know about medical needs specific to drivers.  We want to work for you, so please give us the opportunity to do so.

If you would like to know more about the PDMD or you would like to search for a location, please visit our website at http://www.pd-md.com/.

Thank you for your support.
Dr. John
OOIDA Life Member
Semper Fi