Former Nurse Returns to Lincoln City for Wrist Surgery

Cherrie and Sam Scheinberg, MD, have a bit of history with Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital.

Sam was the hospital’s first orthopedic surgeon back in the mid-1970s and Cherrie worked as a nurse in Sam’s office for 20 years. Between the two of them, they know a little bit about quality health care and patient outcomes.

So maybe it’s no surprise that years later, after starting their own medical device company and moving into a new residence in the Portland area, Cherrie would choose Lincoln City over the big city when it came time to treat her carpal tunnel syndrome.

“My hands were burning, my arm was numb and I knew what was happening,” said Cherrie. “It was carpal tunnel syndrome, and it was getting worse.”

Aside from the numbness, tingling and pain, the muscles in her left hand and arm were beginning to weaken. She knew it was time to do something about it, but she wasn’t satisfied with her visits to Portland providers.

“They were recommending electromyography (EMG) nerve studies, physical therapy and other things that I knew from our experience just wouldn’t work,” said Cherrie.

In addition to her orthopedic background, Cherrie also knows her way around hospitals. She knew that a Portland area hospital would have significantly more patient traffic – meaning less individualized care and a greater risk for infections during surgical procedures.

She scheduled an appointment with Samaritan’s coastal orthopedics office and met with orthopedic surgeon Daniel Robertson, MD. Sam accompanied her to the appointment, and it didn’t take long for Robertson to make a positive impression on the couple.

“In addition to being very experienced, Dr. Robertson is also a very kind man,” she said. “He took the time to listen to me, and explained in great detail what I could expect during and after the procedure.”

Cherrie also came away impressed with the new Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, which opened in February 2020 on the same campus as the original hospital building.

“It’s just beautiful,” she said. “The rooms are not cold, sterile or intimidating. It was really quite comfortable.”

But as Cherrie will tell you, buildings don’t treat people. People treat people. She was as impressed with her operating team and nurses as she was with the new hospital.

“They make you feel like you really matter,” she said. “It feels more like a family.”

Soon after her quick 20-minute operation, her symptoms were gone and she was back on her way to an active, pain-free life.

“So many people go out of town to get total joint replacements and other orthopedic procedures,” Cherrie says. “I think you get better care right here at Samaritan.”

Learn more about carpal tunnel syndrome.

Before coming to Lincoln City, Dr. Daniel Robertson practiced in San Diego for 12 years – five of those years as the team physician for the San Diego Chargers football team. He also provided care for other competitive athletes, including the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team. He can be seen at Samaritan Coastal Clinic (541-557-6477) and Samaritan Orthopedics & Podiatry – Newport (541-574-7235).