TESTIMONALS FROM DOCTORS

“Want relaxed, peaceful, and friendly? Think SPRINGVILLE! I drove through Springville one summer day and imagined what a great place it would be to live and work. Next thing you know – HERE I AM living with my wife and daughters while practicing rural medicine at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital. Our hospital offers many services for patients and physicians alike. The hospital’s success stems from the tremendous staff dedication to patient care.

I grew up in the Western New York area and lived here my entire life but only recently discovered the richness of the southern tier and especially the treasures in Springville – small town atmosphere with all the amenities. So, come see for yourself – take a drive, look around, experience and explore – start living your dreams – and who knows, maybe you’ll stay too! It’s all here – you can’t beat it!” .

William J. Wnuk, M.D.

“My selection of Arcade, New York for a place to practice 37 years ago was multifactoral. The most attractive inducement was the urgent need for a family physician in the Arcade area. Other factors included the proximity to family and friends in Olean, new York; also proximity to a well-staffead hospital. Certainly the fact my wife and children were in favor of a small community enhanced the decision to “settle down” in a small, rural town.The decision to make Arcade our residence was also based on the fact we would be treating a broad range of patients including farmers, factory workers, loggers, supervisory, and school personnel. The fact Arcade was only 35 miles from the University of Buffalo and St. Bonaventure University was also attractive. After only few years in practice I was asked to serve as an assistant clinical Professor of Medicine and as such we welcomed students and residents from the UB program. This intermingling with the students “kept us on our toes.”

I cannot speak highly enough about the close relationship I have had with the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital. The medical staff in the Springville and surrounding areas have been very supportive and interdependent. We have been fortunate to have a very close relationship among family practitioners, surgeons, internists, and obstetricians. It was not unusual for a surgeon or neurosurgeon to come out to Bertrand Chaffee Hospital for an emergency; and we called on them several times. Of course, with our excellent EMT services and ambulance services, it s now customary to transport our acute patients either by land conveyance or helicopter. The local ambulance squads are well trained and we have a complementary group of EMTs providing ambulance service at BCH.

Summer and winter sports are readily available. Some of the best skiing areas in Western new York are within a 20 minute drive from Springville. There are several small lakes and woodland resorts in the area, and of course, Lake Erie is only a half hour away.

To summarize, both my family and me have been very pleased we made Arcade our residence and place of practice over the past 37 years. If a choice had to be made again, it would definitely be in the tri-county area including Arcade and Springville.”

Gerard J. Diesfeld, M.D.

“I am a pediatrician practicing in Springville since finishing my residency training almost 14 years ago. I chose to come to Springville so I could work with a group of pediatricians with an excellent reputation among the doctors in my training program at Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. I soon discovered that there were a number of excellent physicians from a variety of specialties associated with Bertrand Chaffee Hospital in Springville.

Springville is great place to practice medicine. If needed, medical specialists are available in Buffalo located about 30 miles away. The staff at Bertrand Chaffee hospital are highly qualified and have always been easy to work with. In fact, in the years I have been here, I think the staff has continually improved thus making my job easier. For example, all the nursery nurses are trained in Neonatal Advanced Life Support so we no longer have to attend all C-sections. Also, the emergency room physicians and nurses are so comfortable treating children that we are called to the ER less frequently.

Springville is also an excellent place to raise a family. My wife and I have three children ages 14,12, and 1. We have been very pleased with the public school system. Surprisingly, for a village the size of Springville, there is an excellent preschool facility for children with developmental disabilities. There are a number of very active churches and an excellent public library with access to all books in the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System. In the past we have taken advantage of their library story hour for preschoolers.

There are a number of activities available for older children including swimming, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, dancing, scouting, and 4-H. The school offers a strong music program, offering children the opportunity to participate in band, orchestra, and chorus. The other big advantage of living in Springville is that we are able to enjoy the advantages of living in small, friendly town while having easy access to big city cultural and sports events not only in Buffalo, but in Toronto which is only about 2 hours away.

We have never regretted our decision to settle in Springville and have never regretted my decision to be part of the pediatric group that works at Bertrand Chaffee hospital. To me, there is nothing more satisfying than providing excellent pediatric care to people who are not just my patients, but also my neighbors and friends.”

Robbin Hansen, M.D.