Dr. Walter Fritz Celebrates 45 Years

Local Physician Celebrates 45 Years Dedicated to Medicine

Photography Provided

Dr. Walter Fritz, a physician at the Knox Winamac Community Health Center, decided he wanted to be a doctor while he was sitting in a study hall in high school. He made the decision without any particular source of inspiration. He thought about it, and later could not get the idea out of his head. He decided that he wanted to be a family physician, specifically. Growing up in New Jersey, his high school had a club for those interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. Through that club, students were able to learn more about surrounding medical schools.

“Our school had an active pre-medical club, and we made a number of field trips to medical schools, so we got a pretty good exposure to the medical school route,” he says.

He moved from New Jersey to attend Valparaiso University for an undergraduate degree, and later went to Wake Forest in North Carolina. From there, he stayed in the Salem, North Carolina area for four years before coming back to Indiana for his three-year-long residency program, which he completed at Memorial Hospital of South Bend. Since then, he opened his own practice in the Knox area, where he has been practicing medicine continuously since 1974.

Seven years ago, his practice was merged with the practice he is currently at: Knox Winamac Community Health Center. The health center provides a variety of services for their patients, including primary and preventive care; wellness, Department of Transportation (DOT), and sports physicals; laboratory services; vaccines for children; and behavioral health services.

Even after being in the same business for 45 years, Dr. Fritz loves what he does. His favorite part is his patients and getting to meet people and help them.

“My favorite part is the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of patients, not just giving them a willing ear to listen, but to also be able to, through training and experience, to help give them answers or assistance with the problems they encounter in life,” he says.

If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment at the Knox Winamac Community Health Center, you can visit them at 1002 S. Edgewood Drive in Knox. You can also call them at 574-772-6030, send them an email at kwchc@kwchc.net or visit them online at kwchc.net. They are open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.