New Physician Born, Educated and Working at Freeman

Joplin, Mo – In the summer of 1989, Jacob Martin Edge entered the world at Freeman Hospital West. It was just the beginning of a lifetime relationship with the Freeman family which now sees him joining the Freeman Neosho Physician Group.

“The exciting part of all this is that this is home,” said Dr. Edge. “It’s nice to serve the community that has given us so much.”

Raised in Diamond, Missouri, Dr. Edge attended Missouri Southern State College for his undergraduate degree alongside his wife Shelby Tinney-Edge, who was also born at Freeman and lived in Joplin. Dr. Edge earned his master’s degree in biosciences from Kansas City University, where he and Shelby both attended medical school, and then he returned to Freeman for his residency. Dr. Edge has worked the past year as a hospitalist at Freeman West.

“It was a great experience, especially to work in the hospital where I trained and to get my feet wet as an attending physician,” said Dr. Edge. “As I transition into my primary care provider role, being a hospitalist helped me to understand the details of a hospitalization and what happens for the patient when they’re in the hospital, as well as how they can be helped in a certain setting.”

Focusing on internal medicine, Dr. Edge looks forward to developing relationships with his adult patients, helping them with problems like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and more.

“My philosophy has always been to treat others how you would want to be treated,” said Dr. Edge.  “I want a patient to feel comfortable and be able to tell me anything. The patient care-provider relationship is one of the biggest things to have. I look forward to having a set of patients trust in me as their go-to person for all the answers to their health needs.”

You could say practicing medicine is a family affair for Dr. Edge. His wife Shelby is currently a chief resident at Freeman and will join his practice next year. His mom works with Freeman home health, his sister is a Freeman recovery room charge nurse, and his mother-in-law is a nurse practitioner with the Freeman Neosho Physician Group. Additionally, his father-in-law is director of the Newton County Ambulance District.

Dr. Edge is accepting new patients. Appointments can be made by contacting Freeman Neosho Physician Group at 417.455.4200.

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About Freeman Health System

Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2020, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System the Best Hospital in Southwest Missouri for 2020-2021. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 80 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.