Feature/Health & Fitness

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After 35 years as a general practitioner, Dr. Art Wiebe of Kincardine, is retiring.

His final day at the Kincardine Community Medical Clinic is June 15.

"It's perfect timing," says Wiebe, "because I got my licence June 16, 1976, exactly 35 years ago."

Originally from St. Catharines, he received his Bachelor of Science at Brock University and then went to medical school at the University of Ottawa where he graduated in 1975.

He began his practice in Nipigon where he worked for six years, before moving to Deep River where he spent four-and-a-half years. From there, he came to Kincardine in 1987.

"People are nice to doctors," says Wiebe. "We can work anywhere. But it was a family choice to move here and we've become rooted here."

It was an interesting decision, because a number of his patients from Deep River ended up in Kincardine as well. Even a couple from Nipigon moved to town.

"It's funny the dialect that you carry with you," says Wiebe. "In northern Ontario, people consider southwestern Ontario as 'down east,' and what we call a cottage here, they consider a 'camp'."

One of the highlights of his career was delivering twins on Dec. 22, 2009. At that point, the Kincardine hospital no longer had an obstetrics department, says Wiebe, "and I hadn't delivered a baby in 10 years."

It was stormy and the call came in that an ambulance and a police car were coming in from Bervie and a woman was about to give birth to twins.

"It was amazing how all the medical professionals at the hospital worked together," recalls Wiebe. The twins arrived and everyone was fine.

"I love telling that story," Wiebe says.

That's one thing he truly enjoys about the medical profession - the many stories he can tell from the thousands of cases he has handled.

"I remember having to insert a chest tube into a patient," says Wiebe. "The man went on to have chest surgery and the surgeon kept that tube in for two weeks. The guy came back and gave me a gift for saving his life."

Over the years, Wiebe has seen many changes to health care. One that concerns him is ensuring proper medical care for the rural areas. For that reason, he works with the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, making rural health care a priority.

He has also found that doctors are the new priests and new grandmothers in society. "People unburden themselves on doctors and we have to take time to listen."

And he says there are new therapies and new drugs and new guidelines all the time. "We used to rely on experts who told us to do a treatment or a procedure a certain way. Now those same experts can be contradicted."

When Wiebe first came to Kincardine, he worked in the Lambton Street medical clinic with Dr. Lou Tusz and a team of doctors. Dr. Donna Taylor was also there and after a few years, they decided to branch out and designed their own medical offices, located in the Sutton Park Mall.

Once the new Kincardine Community Medical Clinic was built eight years ago, they moved their offices there.

"The new clinic was a great opportunity to get all of the doctors together," says Wiebe, "and now there is a new Family Health Team being established which is great."

One bittersweet moment, Wiebe recalls, happened a few years ago, when Tusz came down with Pick's Disease and had to be committed to a facility in Owen Sound.

"We had worked together at the Lambton clinic. He was a big Hungarian Canadian, and he trusted me. So, I did what was required. It was a sad privilege."

His first nurse was Elaine Holmes, followed by  Debbie Bruijns who will continue to work with Dr. Lisa Denobriga, who takes over the practice July 1.

"I've always had good staff," says Wiebe. "They have always helped me maintain high standards, ethics and values."

So, what does he plan to do when he retires?

He and his wife, Janice McKean, own The Ark Farm on the B-line which they have made a personal commitment to restore from its former use as a gravel pit. They have horses and chickens and raise native plants and garden produce which they sell at the Farmers' Market in Kincardine every Saturday morning in Connaught Park. They helped found the market six years ago. 

Their farm is also a Bed and Breakfast and between them, they have five children and two granddaughters.

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Thursday, June 02, 2011