The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

check out Port Perry,” Steve said, so when they returned they decided to investigate the town and its facilities. Not that Port Perry was the only town they considered. After scouting outa number of small communities, including Lindsay and Cobourg, they settled on Port obstetrics for the first 10 years, neither provide that medical service any more. “There are doctors here now who special- ize in obstetrics,” Elizabeth explains. In addition to their busy practices, the Russells have also immersed themselves into the community in other ways. They Perry because they have both devoted found the town ver : time to coachin; welcoming. % “We came here looking hockey, are active in After attending a for a small comfortable the church community Medical Associates dinner, at which they met many of the local doctors, the decision town to raise a family and we found it.” ... Elizabeth Russell and have taken part in various events like the Terry Fox Run, Scugog Choral Society and to settle in the town and begin working was easy. Steve smiles, when he recalls the meet- ing with the local medical group. “They really wanted Elizabeth. She became the first female doctor in the town’s history. 1 just came along for the ride.” After renting a house in town for one year, the Russells purchased their first home on Queen St. and settled into the community and their new practices. From the very beginning, the couple had decided to share their working hours so they could spend quality time with their young family. So Steve and Elizabeth offered the Medical Associates group their services as a ‘split-practice’, with each of them working half a dat Now, 16 years after beginning their practices at Medical Associates, they have nothing but great memories with their decision to come to Port Perry. “This is a great community for rais- ing a family. We came here looking for a small, comfortable town and we found it,” Elizabeth says. They feel fortunate to belong toa group like Medical Associates where their colleagues are also their friends. “The support system of the ‘group’ provides the benefit of knowing there is someone there to cover for us for holidays and family time,” Steve says. “We don’t feel isolated.” In addition, they both enjoy the variety of choices they have in a small community like Port Perry. Being part of a group, they share shifts and duties in the emergency room, walk-in clinic, palliative care and the operating roo! ’The variety of duties available here makes life far more interesting,” says Elizabeth. And although they both practised fundraising for the rary. Another of the Russells more recent interests is their work with Feed the Chil- dren Canada. They, along with other local medical professionals, have teamed up a number of times to bring medical care to the people of third world countries, most notably in Central America. The busy couple have taken part ina number of one-week missions, bringing care to impoverished people in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Both Steve and Elizabeth say the trips make them feel more grateful and aware of how lucky they are. “Our reward is being able to help others. We get as much out of these missions, as we give,” Eliza- beth says. Steve adds that the ‘big picture’ is overwhelming when it comes to the needs of the people, but also finds their indi- vidual stories are very compelling. Since taking part in these medical mis- sions, Steve has written extensively about the medical teams and the impact they have on the people of Central America. The descriptive and informative articles have been published locally in the Port Perry Star. Although the challenges presented to medical practitioners is always changing, they say that basic treatment is much the same today as when they started their careers years ago. “We have a very supportive, positive community and we are proud of the way everyone looks after each other,” Steve contends. By J. Peter Hvidsten Focus on Scugog Next month - Part 8 Dr. Merrilee Brown Saturday yANU Ce LU) aad Starting at 6:00 p.m. Texas Burger & Pop or Sausage & Pop Come see our Baby Lion, Tiger and Wolves. $15 Adults $13 Seniors $11 Kids 12 & under 2 & under Free * *Plus tax. Cash only — no interac service. 2192 Cookson Lane 905-985-2738 FOCUS - AUGUST 2010 21