Dr. Joe Smith, 1946-2010

Dr. Joe Smith died Saturday.

Joe suffered much these past two years, a consequence of the accident that left him paralyzed in 2008. He was in and out of the hospital frequently, and it was easy to get discouraged. He acknowledges being discouraged -- and also being extremely grateful -- in his last, inspiring message. It was posted yesterday on the website of Syracuse Orthopedic Surgeons (SOS).

Joe was supported by a great family, especially his wife Carol, and his children. Carol cared unselfishly for Joe though all the difficulties. Joe was also supported by his friends, a loyal and steady tribe, many of whom have known him from childhood. They stayed in touch, visiting him, offering words of encouragement, helping the family.

When he retired as an orthopedic surgeon in 2005, Dr. Smith was a larger-than-life figure, having succeeded Dr. Bob Lockwood as Chair of Orthopedics. He was honored with an award from the Community General Foundation, and he served on the Community General Board of Directors.

After retirement, Joe loved to work in his garden. It was an avocation he shared with his father-in-law, about whom Joe always spoke with much affection and respect. Joe often brought a box of fresh vegetables when we met for lunch at Luigi’s Restaurant on Valley Drive. Luigi's was one of his favorite haunts.

Last January at the dedication of Community’s new Center for Orthopedics, speaker after speaker paid tribute to Joe, whose leadership helped shape orthopedic excellence at the hospital. Later that day, I gave a DVD copy of the dedication ceremony to State Senator John DeFrancisco, Joe’s high school classmate and lifelong friend. He took the disc with him when he visited Joe the following day. It was great that Joe was able to hear the words spoken in his honor and to see the new Center, “but it was very bittersweet to sit and watch it with him,” the Senator later told me.

“If you are reading or listening to this,” Joe writes in his final message, “I am no longer present in this world but hopefully moved on to a better spiritual place. I’d like to thank you, I’d like to thank everyone for their help and consideration and especially their love.”

Our thoughts are with you, Joe, and with Carol, your family and your friends.

Dr. Joe Smith & the Center for Orthopedics

There were many poignant moments at Thursday's ribbon cutting for the new Center for Orthopedics as dignitaries recognized the work of Dr. Joseph Smith, a retired member of the medical staff who was severely injured in an accident in 2008.

Dr. Smith served as chairman of the orthopedics department at Community General Hospital for many years. He helped lay the foundation for the service that was recognized last week for its high quality.

That's Dr. Smith in the operating room photo, taken about 2004. He is second from the left.

Praise for Dr. Smith began with Board chair Steve Infanti, who was at the podium to receive awards recognizing the quality of Community's orthopedics program.

The first award was presented by Dr. Marybeth McCall, regional chief medical officer for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. Excellus' BlueDistinction designation recognizes the quality of Community's spine surgery, as well as its hip and knee replacement surgery.

Allison Leavey of HealthGrades presented Steve with the overall orthopedics excellence award, earned by Community for the fourth straight year. Ms. Leavey also acknowledged HealthGrades' honors for Community's spine surgery, hip and knee replacements, and hip fracture repair.

In accepting the awards, Steve paid tribute to Dr. Smith for the quality of orthopedics, as well as for the growth of the orthopedics service.

Dr. Rick Zogby, chair of orthopedics, in the photo at left, followed Steve with his own spontaneous and heartfelt tribute to his colleague and friend, Dr. Smith.

This was echoed by another speaker, State Senator John DeFrancisco, in the photo below, who told the audience of his lifelong friendship with Dr. Smith. The Senator and the doctor were students together at Christian Brothers Academy years ago.

Following the ribbon cutting by Chief Nursing Officer Christine Stryker, orthopedic nurse manager Wendy Osgood, and area dignitaries, guests and colleagues toured the 25,000 square-foot Center for Orthopedics, which features 36 private rooms and a spacious gym overlooking downtown Syracuse and Onondaga Lake.

The Center features many improvements, among them:

- A silent nurse call system to reduce noise for patients.

- Decentralized nursing stations so professional staff is close to patients.

- Ergonomic flooring for the nurses who spend so much time on their feet.

- A physical therapy gym to help patients recover faster and more comfortably.

- Wi-fi Internet access for all patients.

- Tempur-Pedic mattresses on beds that can help prevent falls and even weigh patients.

- PVC-free wall covering and vinyl-free flooring.

- LED down lights and other features to conserve power.

- Plumbing that reduces water consumption.

The Center for Orthopedics was funded by $7.6 million from a grant awarded under New York State's Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability Law (HEAL). The HEAL grant was given to Community for its compliance with the decisions of the Commission on Healthcare Facilities for the 21st Century ("Berger Commission").

My thanks, especially to Ken Redmore, Community's Director of Facilities and Construction, who managed the project from start to finish, through design, bidding, build-out, including all state approvals and coordination. He brought the project to completion on time and within budget.

There were many colleagues and friends at the opening ceremonies, and I appreciated the presence, among them, of Dr. Paul Kronenberg, president and CEO of Crouse Hospital -- Community General's prospective merger partner.

As lovely as the new Center is, we all know that facilities alone do not assure excellence. Only people do that. Community's orthopedics service relies upon its excellent people: from the orthopedic surgeons, to the operating room and nursing staff, as supported by physical therapists, other ancillary staff, and the entire support team.

It is great to see our staff recognized and our patients the beneficiaries of an excellent facility. They begin to use the new Center this week.