Tamarah Coffey, a pediatric nurse practitioner, will work side-by-side with her young patient on a stuffed animal to help develop their relationship.

"It's the way you talk to them," said Coffey about being a pediatrician. "You never know what comes out of their mouths."

Advocate readers voted Coffey, who tied with Dr. Felix Regueira, for best pediatrician in the Crossroads.

"It's overwhelming and definitely an honor," she said. "It's an honor to know that people are reaching out and putting their voice out there. It is a humbling experience."

Coffey has been a nurse since 1997 and a nurse practitioner since 2011. She also has gone back to school to learn adult care.

She said when she experienced labor and delivery in nursing school, she found her niche.

"I knew I would never work anywhere else," Coffey said. She worked for the pediatric and women's services at DeTar Healthcare System for 15 years.

The Crescent View Medical Clinic opened its doors in August 2014. The teamwork, environment and relationships between the parents, kids and staff make the clinic unique, she said.

Since opening, the clinic has expanded from three tiny rooms to six rooms.

Coffey and her staff are mothers, so they have a special way of working with the children, she said.

"I'm not afraid to let them touch the lights and equipment and stethoscope," she said. "When they touch it, they realize it doesn't hurt them."
Tamarah Coffey, pediatric nurse practitioner

Crescent View Medical Clinic, 2501 N Navarro St. Victoria, TX 77901
8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, but close for lunch. During the summer, the clinic closes at noon.
361-894-8745, crescentviewvictoria.com

Lindsey Travis, family nurse practitioner (FNP-C), joined Crescent View Medical Clinic in 2015 as the clinic grew. She has been a Registered Nurse since 2005 and became a nurse practitioner in 2014. Lindsey graduated with her associate degree of nursing from Victoria College and her bachelor's degree of nursing from Texas Tech University. She later graduated with her master's degree of nursing with an FNP focus from Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Lindsey's experience includes TICU, oncology, medical-surgical, internal medicine, and hospice. "I love watching children grow and treating the entire family from infancy to adult hood".