40 YEARS OF CARING FOR HUDSON PATIENTS
It was 40 years ago this summer that young doctors Ron Hyrniowski and Len Welik, fresh from completing their residency at St. Mary’s Hospital in Montreal, moved into Hudson and set up office in what was then the new, paint-still-not-dry Medi-Centre on Cameron St., now just an empty lot. There they launched a practice that today has led to their becoming virtually indispensable in the Hudson region. In fact, Dr. Hyrniowski, who preceded Dr. Welik by a few months, actually met his first case before he had ever unlocked the Medi-Centre door! An anxious policeman stood by the entrance, as Hyrniowski recalled: “and once assured I was a doctor he rushed me to a home nearby and asked if the corpse on the floor was really dead. It was.” Baptism by fire? Indeed. Guided by their de facto mentor Dr. Hugh Godefroy, both soon found their footing and settled in, making Hudson their home, raising their families, and setting out to do good across the board. That was 40 years ago, and today they are still at it, still practising medicine along the same holistic lines that have served them well from the beginning, ever keeping their minds open to all possibilities. “We care about our patients, every one,” said Welik, reminding us that he and Dr. Hyrniowski each carry about 4,500 persons on their roles. Of those, about 1,000 are considered vulnerable. To put flesh and bones to these numbers, Len cited the example of one patient whom he visited at home one evening after clinic for a high fever. His status was complicated and critical. “I sent him by ambulance to emergency, where they saw him right away and, fortunately, dealt with the crisis,” he said, adding, “except for their quick response, he would have been dead by morning.” The doctors’ spirits took a huge boost with the opening of the new Hudson Medi-Centre on Main Rd. some six years ago. Guided to completion by local visionaries Peter Lombardi and Frank Royle, today, in these times of tight budgets and limited staff, it is regarded as a model of perfection. Working with the doctors are Dr. Marie Leclair, a valued 30-year member of the team, the calmly efficient Dr. Richard Poole, and a wide range of visiting specialists who attend on a regular basis. Behind them are NOVA Hudson’s indispensable nurses and volunteers, leaders all in providing community health services, and a contingent of solidly competent support staff. Forty years, half a lifetime, and Dr. Welik and Dr. Hyrniowski continue to peer into tomorrow, still seeking the challenges it holds. For that’s what they do. Even as my wife Sandra and I marvel at how essential they have been to us, we know we’ll never find the words to truly thank them, not even if we live to be 100. Which the doctors say we will! Congratulations, gentlemen. Well done.