I almost died in a rural facility giving birth to my first kid. I was almost a statistic. I get it. I was there. No one would listen to me. That is why I became a labor and delivery nurse. Women need someone to take them seriously. They know their bodies better than anyone.”

Rauli J. Perry, WHNP

SUBLETTE COUNTY — Before she was a successful Women’s Health Nurse Practioner with a months-long waiting list of eager patients in Twin Falls, Idaho, Rauli J. Perry was a woman in labor fighting for her life to get her doctors to listen to her. “I almost died in a rural facility giving birth to my first kid,” Perry explained during an interview between seeing patients at the Pinedale Medical Clinic Tuesday. “I was almost a statistic. I get it. I was there. No one would listen to me,” a teary-eyed Perry added. “That is why I became a labor and delivery nurse. Women need someone to take them seriously. They know their bodies better than anyone.” 

Perry has received a warm welcome from women across all stages of life since she began seeing patients in Sublette County on August 1. “My schedule has been full every single day,” Perry said. “I’m seeing a trend of women coming to me with gaps, years and years between preventative healthcare, because it’s such a big deal to take a day off work, travel 77 or 100 miles either way, and be on a waiting list for 15 months just for preventative care. So what’s happening if you’re having abnormal bleeding or all these other concerns we have?”

Perry brings 24 years of medical experience to Sublette County. In that time she’s worked everywhere from a reservation to a large hospital in Missoula, Montana. She started her career as a medical assistant and phlebotomist before obtaining her LPN and RN certifications. A graduate of Lyman High School, Perry earned her Associate’s degree in nursing through Casper College and received a Bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Wyoming. In 2021, she graduated from Frontier Nursing University in Kentucky with a Master’s degree as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP). 

Perry is focused on providing comprehensive women’s healthcare locally, including routine annual check-ups and breast exams, pap smears and STI screening, mental health support, postpartum care, birth control options, support for low libido and painful intercourse, preconception counseling and basic infertility workups, procedures such as colposcopy, biopsy and prolapse management and support for menstrual and hormonal concerns, among numerous other services.

“I love being there to support other women during their vulnerable times and that’s every time you’re in an exam room. You’ll always feel comfortable with me in an exam room. If you are natural and holistic, I got you. If you want to try prescription treatments, I got you. I want to get at the root cause because I want you to feel better.” Perry said. 

“I love to work with teenagers because in those years we can pick up on things in their early stages, such as PCOS (poly-cystic ovary syndrome) and address them early. I do a lot of preventative health care for ages 8 and up, those pre-pubescent years. Women’s health care encompasses all ages and stages,” Perry explained. 

“I did a lot of infertility workups and I’m hoping to get back into that here if there’s a need for it … I’m very open to women reaching out and suggesting services to add to my practice. I’m a lifelong learner so if there’s something the community needs, I’ll go get trained for it..”

Perry said she wants potential patients to know, “If they come to me with a concern, we will try to get to the bottom of it and if we can’t, I’ll get them to the appropriate person.” 

Perry will provide services in Marbleton and Pinedale, dividing her schedule between the two clinics with Wednesdays spent in Marbleton and the rest of the week in Pinedale. She said she’s “excited to build this program up and see women here taken care of.” 

Contact the Pinedale Medical Clinic at 307-367-4133 or the Marbleton/Big Piney Medical Clinic at 307-276-3306 to schedule an appointment with Perry.