By MADELINE REIDA

Staff writer

Free lunches, one at St. Luke Hospital on Monday and one at Hillsboro Community Hospital today, encouraged current and future patients to meet new physicians Ryan and Autumn Weir.

Both Weirs were recruited out of Smoky Hill family medicine residency by a partnership between St. Luke and HCH. They started seeing patients Sept. 7 and will switch between working at the clinic and emergency room — him at St. Luke, her at HCH.

Having grown up in small Kansas towns, the couple was eager to go back to a rural area after living in Salina.

“It’s a different kind of people,” Autumn said.

She also will be glad to have a more stable schedule. In school, the Weirs often had different class times. Now they leave for and work at their respective hospitals at roughly the same time.

They already have become engrained into the community.

“It’s a great community; everyone’s very kind,” Ryan said. “A neighbor came over with blueberry muffins the other day. I’ve never had that happen before.”

The couple reside in Hillsboro.