Dr. Stephen Hutchins came from the north more than 40 years ago and has called Oklahoma "home" ever since. With his calm demeanor, problem-solving mind, encyclopedic knowledge of medications, and New York accent, he’s easy to recognize. A staple of care that has come to be known and loved by all at Lighthouse for the last 36 years.

 

Now, he says, it’s time to retire.

 

“Lighthouse has been good to me, but I’m looking forward to slowing down,” said Hutchins, wearing his classic dark-rimmed glasses and his iconic relaxed demeanor. “I’m 69 years old. You can tell people my age, if you want.”

 

He’s been a constant at Lighthouse for nearly four decades, working in the med clinic until officially retiring, December 31, 2025. His passion and care for patients goes back even further to his first job as a teen in Rochester, New York.

 

“I worked as an orderly for a nursing home and took care of patients back then,” said Hutchins, who got the job due to his mother, a nurse who worked there. “That drew me into medicine.”

 

Every day after school, he’d drive to the nursing home where he helped feed, wash, and move patients from their bed to the bathroom or simply offering assistance wherever needed. When it was time to choose a career, the decision to pursue healthcare was simple.

 

After attending Houghton College in Rochester, he moved to Oklahoma to attend medical school at Oral Roberts University, even though he’d never even visited Oklahoma before that. As a northern boy, he saw the South as a warm place that escaped the bitter cold.

 

After graduating from medical school in 1986 and completing his residency in 1989, he started practicing family medicine at his med clinic in Marietta and, within months, spending his one day off per week working at Lighthouse, too.

 

“One of the workers at my family practice clinic in Marietta approached me back then and said, ‘We could use you in mental health here.’ So, I started working at Lighthouse and I just loved it,” said Hutchins, who eventually increased his days at Lighthouse to two days per week.

 

“He’s compassionate,” said Morgan Powell, clinical team lead at Lighthouse, who has worked with Hutchins for two decades. “He really does care about the clients he serves and the people he sees.”

Over the years, Powell says she frequently reached out to him for insight due to his ability to troubleshoot problematic situations and his willingness to always be available when needed. 

 

“I had a client who was really struggling with psychosis,” Powell said, giving an example. “We tried the medication, but it wasn’t working. It was really problematic. I went to Dr. Hutchins and said, ‘My client has been taking pills to help with the psychosis, but she’s having trouble remembering to take it. What do you think about switching her to a new medication?’ He said, ‘Well, let me check over the records and see how long she’s been on it.’ Then, he did his research. He looked into what this client was taking, all the effects, and any additional history, before he came back and said, ‘Yes, let’s try it.’ ”

 

Over the years, medications for mental health have made amazing strides, said Hutchins. His career has seen major changes and advancements, namely the introduction of new antipsychotics into the field that, not only offer better treatment but also come with fewer side effects.

 

“When I first went into mental health, there were no electronic records. Everything was paper and you had to actually write out your progress notes and have a folder for each client. You, the counselors, everyone, put all their notes in the same folder,” he recalled. “When we transitioned to electronic records, it was a challenge at first trying to navigate it.”

 

Overall, though, throughout all the years, one thing hasn’t changed and that is the community’s need for Lighthouse.

 

“It’s critical. One thing I like about Lighthouse is that it’s really community oriented. It meets the clients at their needs, like the crisis unit that operates here and provides care for people going through a crisis. With some of the more severe clients, the clinicians actually go to their homes and help them. We also have case management that helps people, like those who are suffering from homelessness. We help them find a home or a shelter to support them. We help them financially to get approved for Medicaid or help them get on disability. So, a lot of people rely on us,” said Hutchins.

 

Will he miss Lighthouse? “Absolutely,” he said. He’ll miss the relaxing environment, the staff, and, of course, his clients.

 

“I have some clients I’ve been seeing for 20 or 30 years. Now that they know I’m retiring, they’ve told me, ‘You’ve been my doctor for so long, I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.’ Some are saying they’re going to start seeing me at my family practice clinic in Marietta, while still getting their counseling at Lighthouse, because they don’t want to leave me,” with a soft, pleased smile, he said, “and that’s fine with me.”

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