Dr Jack Fong Retiring His Chair, Receiving Heart Of Gold Honor

By John Voket

On the cusp of his retirement from chairing the Danbury Hospital’s Department of Pediatrics, the hospital’s Development Fund, Inc is honoring Newtown resident Dr Jack Fong as part of its 13th Annual A Day to Make a Difference pediatric auction.

 The event takes place at 6 pm, Friday, September 8, at the Ethan Allen Hotel, 21 Lake Avenue in Danbury. Proceeds from the auction will help to establish a permanent pediatric endowment in support of Danbury Hospital’s pediatric program and services.

“This year is an especially meaningful one for us as we set our sights on establishing a permanent pediatric endowment to perpetuate Danbury Hospital’s critical role in the delivery of compassionate pediatric care to the children of this community,” said Susan Kania, director, Danbury Hospital Development Fund. “Proceeds from this year’s event, and future A Day to Make a Difference auctions, will be used to build this endowment to meet the health care needs of our children and grandchildren for generations to come.”

In recent years, the development fund has underwritten antismoking programs for adolescents, “Wellness on Wheels,” a pediatric mobile outreach van, a specialized clinic for children with special needs, hospital-based pediatric subspecialty programs, and the purchase of high frequency ventilators for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Dr Fong, who recently announced his retirement as chairman of the hospital’s Department of Pediatrics, will be the 2006 recipient of the Heart of Gold Award.

Dr Fong, a longtime child advocate, was born a British subject and was raised to college age in Hong Kong. Family ties took him to McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, for his undergraduate study and medical school.

Following an internship and residency at the University of Minnesota Hospitals in Minneapolis, and a brief but valuable experience with a doctor there who taught him the value of starting hospital rounds at 5 am, Dr Fong returned to McGill. After several years of teaching and practicing medicine in a large academic institution, he came to realize his talents might be optimized in a community hospital and found such an opportunity in Danbury in 1985.

Beyond the demands he faced as department chair at Danbury Hospital, he maintained a rigorous schedule of pediatric conferences that typically attract greater than 200 participants and who come from all walks of life. Among them is the hospital’s Annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference, a daylong affair, the impact of which continues to gain momentum each year.

In addition, Dr Fong operates a hospital-based private practice in primary care pediatrics and consulting immunology with patients who range up in age to 60 years old.

The doctor’s role as attending physician two half-days a week at Green Chimneys, a residential treatment center for children with psychological problems in Brewster, N.Y., is very special to him. For more than a decade, Dr Fong has taken care of these traumatized children in a “farm” facility that uses farm animals as a medium of therapy — teaching them responsibility and giving them a purpose through jobs they perform.

Dr Fong is also passionate when he talks about Dream Come True of Western Connecticut, an organization whose mission is to fulfill the dreams of children with chronic, debilitating, or fatal illness. Having served as a board member after acting as medical advisor to the organization for more than 15 years, he says the group shows “the community really cares.”

Beyond realizing the wishes of afflicted children, Dream Come True runs special events throughout the year such as an annual summer picnic and breakfast with Santa. In March 2005, Dr Fong became the inaugural honoree at the Dream Come True annual gala.

He also supports the role “Wellness on Wheels” plays in breaking down the barriers of access to health care, reducing inappropriate use of the emergency room, increasing the physical activity levels of school children by making available the necessary physicals, and truly practicing preventive medicine. As an expert source on pediatric issues, Dr Fong also inspired a recent focus on childhood obesity that resulted in several features in The Newtown Bee’s Health Monitor quarterly publication.

At Western Connecticut State University’s commencement in 2005, Dr Fong was given the President’s Medal. One of the school’s highest honors was presented, in part, as a tribute to his dedication to teaching nursing students, involving Green Chimneys as part of the nursing program, and his status as the only “outside” member on the Institution Review Board of the university.

Introduced in 2003, The Danbury Hospital Foundation’s Heart of Gold Award pays tribute to individuals whose tireless efforts make a difference in the lives of children.

Former Heart of Gold recipient and retired Newtown pediatrician Humberto Bauta, MD, is the event’s honorary chairman, and Claudia Coopersmith of Newtown and Michelle James of Danbury serve as this year’s co-chairmen.

The September 15 program begins with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction at 6 pm followed by the Heart of Gold Award presentation at 7:45 pm. The event concludes with a live auction that starts at 8 pm.

A Day to Make a Difference guests will have the opportunity to bid on a broad array of auction items that include: a Dell Dimension 3100 Pentium 4 computer system that comes with a basic instruction session and 12-month follow-up phone support; a fabulous ten-day Alaska fishing trip with guides, transportation, meals, and accommodations inclusive; two tickets for a performance by the renowned folk group Peter, Paul and Mary at the Palace Theater in Waterbury; four tickets for a Giants vs Saints football game with premier seating and reserved parking; and a queen-size handmade quilt set. 

In addition, there will be jewelry, spa and beauty packages, sports memorabilia, and much more. Auction items are generously donated by local businesses and individuals in support of Danbury Hospital’s continued achievements in the health care and safety of local children.

Anyone planning to attend should phone in reservations to the Danbury Hospital Development Fund at 797-7227. Deadline to reserve tickets is Wednesday, September 6.

(Former Newtown Bee Associate Editor Kaaren Valenta contributed to this article)