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In September of 1955, Wolfson Memorial Children's Hospital opened as a 50-bed wing in what was then called Baptist Memorial Hospital. One of the first patients was pediatric dentist Dr. Barry Setzer. Since Wolfson’s birthday party would not be complete without remembering one of our first patients, here’s how it unfolds.
Seven-year old Barry Setzer was admitted for what, in those days, was called bronchial congestion. We know it today as asthma. So serious was this siege on his respiratory system that he was hospitalized for a week and kept in bed the entire time. Not surprisingly, he was so weak he could hardly walk when he was discharged. And, most uncharacteristically for a child, because he had trouble swallowing pills, young Barry begged to have a shot instead!
Asthma has dogged Dr. Setzer to this day. But it also helped him develop a tremendous empathy for children: particularly children who have special needs.
For more than 33 years, Dr. Setzer has been on Wolfson’s staff as a pediatric dentist. In fact, he led the development of Wolfson’s Pediatric Dental Program for children with special needs such autism, cerebral palsy and Down’s Syndrome. These children cannot tolerate dental care without anesthesia. Every Thursday, Dr. Setzer can be found in his dedicated operating room where these children receive dental care. He is also a member of the Cleft Palate team that constructs a “normal” mouth for babies born with this disfiguring defect. Clearly, he is someone who cares deeply about some of our most vulnerable patients.
By the way, did you know that asthma is the number-one reason children miss school, and the leading cause of hospitalization for children in Northeast Florida? It is estimated that more than 60,000 people with asthma live in the greater Jacksonville area, and many of them are children whose families are unaware they have the disease. To combat the devastating and sometimes life-threatening effects of asthma, the Community Asthma Partnership at Wolfson was formed to help improve asthma awareness, education, access and the standard of care in the community.
Children need Wolfson for many reasons and the story of Dr. Setzer is a vivid example of the breadth of services we provide. It also demonstrates the ongoing challenge of health problems like asthma. With each birthday, we celebrate medical milestones and continue searching for answers that plague our children. |
