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West Shore Shoppers' Guide, February 13, 2011
West Shore Shoppers' Guide, February 13, 2011
Memorial
Medical Center
Welcomes
Photos by Dave Yarnell/News Advocate
Donald Albrecht talks about his time as chief emergency room physician at West
Tamara Buckles, MD
Shore Medical Center.
Memorial Medical Center would
WSMC says ‘job well done’ in like to welcome Tamara Buckles,
naming the Donald Albrecht MD to its active medical staff.
Dr. Buckles specializes in
EMS Facility Pediatric Medicine and has
BY DAVE YARNELL joined the practice of Drs. Ken
STAFF WRITER
The garage named Tuesday for retired Hill and Kari Leikert at Pediatric
West Shore Medical Center emergency & Adolescent Medicine, located
room physician Donald J. Albrecht is just a
small example of the many improvements at 907 E. Tinkham Avenue in
he helped bring about in his 16 years as
chief emergency room physician at the Ludington. Dr. Buckles received
hospital from 1993 to 2009.
Well-wishers filled two large class- her medical degree from
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville and
rooms in the education center at the hos-
pital to thank Albrecht for his accomplish-
ments.
“I want to thank everybody for show-
completed her residency at the university’s medical center.
ing up,” Albrecht said. “That is the most She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern
remarkable part to me. I must admit, when
I was in Minnesota, if I had known what I University in Evanston, IL. Prior to moving to Ludington, Dr.
was getting into coming here ... well, let’s
just say I didn’t know what I was getting Buckles practiced at the Springfield Children’s Clinic in
into.”
He said that during his first year, as Tennessee. She is board certified by the American Board of
Pediatrics. Dr. Buckles and her husband, David, are excited to
winter approached, he wondered why the Theodore N. Batzer M.D., (left) chair
ambulance wasn’t put in the garage. of the West Shore Medical Center
“We didn’t have a garage,” he said.
“So the first thing the medics would do is
Board of Trustees, presents a plaque
to Donald Albrecht.
return to their home state and to be living in West Michigan
start chipping the ice off the cold rig to go along the lakeshore. They have two children, an infant son and
pick up their patient. I would be remiss if “In the late 80s and early 90s, the
I didn’t make sure that I thank one other emergency department consisted of a basic a four-year-old daughter. Dr. Buckles is looking forward to
person who had an awful lot to do with the EMT who often had to rely on a mainte-
whole thing — and that’s Bill Knodell (of nance worker to function as an ambulance caring for young people of all ages, from infants to adolescents,
the hospital staff). If I was the mouth, he driver. Don changed all that.
was the arms and the legs.” “He was instrumental in developing in all aspects of their health including their physical, mental and
social development. She enjoys getting to know the families of
Emergency room physician Richard the paramedic program that the hospital
Scharp recalled working with Albrecht. currently uses today. He was also respon-
“I learned many things from Don over
the years, but I think the most important
sible for the EMS barn that we are naming
today and also a second ambulance base in
her patients, and especially likes the opportunity to care for all
thing I learned was by observing how he Kaleva.” children within a family so that she can assist with sibling
cared for the patients,” Scharp said. “He Scharp said he thought of Albrecht sev-
took the time to pull up a chair and listen eral weeks ago when paramedics made a interactions and family relationships.
to the people he was taking care of. I think run to Onekama and then transported the
too often we underestimate the power that
a touch, a smile, a listening ear and the
patient directly to Munson Medical Center.
“The first responders and paramedics Appointments with Dr. Buckles
act of caring can actually have on the indi-
vidual and their disease. Don understood
quickly determined that he was having, in
layman’s terms, a massive heart attack,” can be scheduled by calling
that well. To me he was the epitome of the
compassionate and empathetic physician.”
Scharp said. “So they began treatment and
transported him to Munson where at 1 (231) 843-3477
Scharp offered the Tom Brokaw quote, a.m. on a Sunday morning a cardiologist
“It’s easy to make a buck, but it’s much was waiting to take him to the cath lab.”
more difficult to make a difference.” Later, Scharp said he received a call
“Since Burt and the board hired Don in from the cardiologist who let him know
1993, that’s exactly what he has done — he that they were able to open the patient’s
has made a difference,” Scharp said. “As artery and he was doing well.
the first full-time E.R. physician the hospi- “He also wanted me to personally
tal hired, he brought many new ideas and thank the EMS personnel who attended to
changed how the emergency department
was staffed. See ALBRECHT page 8
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