Dr. Filips announces his intention to retire from practice here

HARTINGTON – Long-time Hartington optometrist Dr. Roger Filips is announcing plans to retire soon.

He is selling his Filips Vision Source clinic to Unity Centers, formerly Authier, Miller, Pape Eyecare of Norfolk. Hartington native Dr. Steve Miller is one of the owner-doctors in that practice.

Filips has been serving the Hartington area for more than 36 ye ars, now. He set up his office in the former Federal Land Bank building on Highway 15 in July 1986, and has greeted patients there ever since.

Filips will work with the new owners, seeing patients until the end of the year. A Unity Center optometrist will then come in to se rve local patients.

'A new doctor is planning to move into Hartington; until then, another doctor will service the clinic,' Filips said.

As a 'thank you' to his patients, Filips will hold three specia l open houses Oct. 21. There will be an open house from 9-11: 30 a.m. at his Creighton office, one from 2-4 p.m. at his Hartington office and a third from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Big Hair Brewhaus in Hartington.

Filips said he decided to open the clinic in Hartington because he has family ties to the community and it 'was a nice, progressive community and seemed to have a lot going on, so it was a good place to start a practice.'

He stressed that all patient records, guarantees and warranties will remain with the practice. The only thing that is changing is the doctor who will treat patients here, he said.

Filips said he's been thinking about retirement for quite a while, but 'when you own a business, you can't just put in your two-week n otice.'

Once he does retire, he plans to move permanently to his Niobrara River cabin near Spencer and 'try to catch up with the grandkid s.'