Conferred by the Governors of Texas, Yellow Rose of Texas Recognizes Exceptional Texas Women who have Served their Communities

HOUSTON – Next Level Urgent Care, LLC is proud to announce the recent recognition of their own Karen Rakers MD, primary care physician and managing director of Employee Health Services, as a Yellow Rose of Texas – one of the highest awards bestowed upon women by the Texas governor.

Rakers was honored with the award during the recent retirement ceremony for her husband, Lt. Col Stephen Dowd, from the US Airforce.  A 61-year-old honorary commission, the Yellow Rose of Texas Award is granted to those women excelling in community volunteerism amid career and family and those who have “contributed to helping the State of Texas and the Texas Air National Guard retain the cooperative, friendly and enriching character for which both are so proudly known.”

Rakers, a practicing physician and mother of three young children, was named a Yellow Rose of Texas honoree following a decade of community service, which includes participating in fundraising events for The March of Dimes, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Parks Youth Ranch and the Fort Bend County Women’s Center, as well as involvement with the Houston Business Coalition on Health and Executive Women’s Alliance.  She also serves on the board for the New Territory Torpedoes swim team and was a troop leader for Girl Scouts of America.

“There are so many families who overcome challenges to provide unyielding support to a military spouse.  It’s just what you do,” said Rakers

“The bottom line is that this award recognizes the sacrifices all families make to strengthen and support their military family members and community. I recognize this and humbly accept the honor that comes with this award,” said Rakers.

After assuming the position as managing director of the Next Level Urgent Care Employee Health Services, the onsite employee clinics began seeing significant improvements in blood pressure and diabetes control among its patient populations.

Rakers now oversees five employee health clinics for the organization and is working closely with the management team to advance access to quality care through video clinics with digital diagnostic equipment for employers.

“The Yellow Rose of Texas recognition not only underscores the caliber of individual that we all know Dr. Rakers to be, but also exemplifies the caliber of provider she is and with whom we are honored to work alongside – enabling our organization to stand apart and truly advance health and meaningful care throughout communities,” said Juliet Breeze, founder and CEO of Next Level Urgent Care.

“Dr. Rakers could not be more deserving of this recognition,” added Breeze.

Dr. Karen Rakers has more than 15 years of experience as a primary care physician, specializing in family medicine.  She obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

About Next Level Urgent Care

The largest and fastest growing woman-owned Urgent Care organization in Houston, Next Level Urgent Care, LLC and its family of 14 urgent care and five onsite employee health and wellness clinics are the vision of Juliet Breeze, MD, a primary care physician and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in healthcare. One of the few physician-owned urgent care organizations in Houston, Next Level Urgent Care represents a new type of urgent care organization.

The organization is focused on the customer experience with quality and consistency of care, delivered using proprietary systems, organizational designs and “next level” clinical and business processes. On-staff physicians and healthcare providers are procedurally trained to handle acute urgent medical conditions and are part of an established referral network and collaborative effort to facilitate continuation of care and other specialized medical services.  The clinics offer extended hours seven days a week and on holidays, at a fraction of the price of hospital emergency room or ER clinic visits.