By Michele Deluca
Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS —
When Courtney Labelle heard that her 14-month-old daughter, Emilia, could have her surgery at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center she admitted to a moment’s trepidation.
The surgery had been scheduled for Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo where Labelle, of Wheatfield, felt her daughter would receive specialized care especially designed for children.
The opportunity for a change in venue to Memorial, a hospital much closer to home, was due to the recent acquisition of two pediatric surgeons by Memorial which, already has a team of anesthesiologists who work at both Children’s and Memorial. Overall, she described the surgery experience as “wonderful.”
“The staff was great too. I can’t say enough,” she said about the medical experience, during which her young daughter had ear tubes placed which are expected to provide relief for the constant ear infections the toddler has had since she was 7-months old.
The surgery was completed by Dr. Michael Pizzuto who, along with one of his partners at his practice in Williamsville, Dr. Mark Nagy, has recently been credentialed to perform surgery at the Medical Center and see patients in the Niagara region.
Both are pediatric ear, nose and throat surgeons who are widely published doctors and who have presented at conferences regarding their specialties. Both will also see patients at shared offices at Summit Health Complex, as the only pediatric surgeons in Niagara County.
Pizzuto and Nagy also work at Women and Children’s Hospital and are former colleagues of Joe Ruffalo, the chief executive officer of Memorial who was formerly the CEO of Children’s Hospital in Buffalo from 1993 to 1998.
“We had a big need for ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeons, especially pediatric ENTS,” Ruffalo said during a news conference to announce the credentialing of the two surgeons.
Ruffalo said having the doctors available to Niagara County patients will improve access and make services more convenient to parents of pediatric patients, especially for the segment of the population the hospital serves that has no ability to get to Buffalo for services or to visit patients there.
Having the doctors on staff is a “real privilege, and a real win for the region,” Ruffalo added.
The doctors will have office hours about two days a week at the Summit location.
While both surgeons will be performing standard pediatric ENT procedures including the removal of tonsils and adenoids, both will continue to perform in their specialty areas. Dr. Pizzuto’s specialty is pediatric airway and voice disorders. Dr. Nagy has advanced training in “vascular malformations,” commonly known as port wine stain birthmarks.
Both surgeons are expected to be seeing patients by the end of the summer.
