Physician Marks 60 Years in Practice
In six decades of practice, pediatrician Pascal Spino, MD, has touched the lives of many children in Greensburg, PA.
“The mother of a patient recently said to me, ‘Dr. Spino, you took care of my grandmother, my mother, me, and my children.’ And I said, ‘No that’s impossible, I’m not that old!’” he says.
He has approached his job with dedication, kindness, and compassion, winning the trust and affection of his patients with a hug and a lollipop.
“I’ve been asked why children seem to like me so much, and I say that I have the perfect cure,” Dr. Spino says. “I smile and hug the mother. When the kid sees me hug the mother, he half-approves but he still looks confused. Then, I say, ‘Look what I have here,’ and I have a lollipop. With one suck, he’s stuck.”
Dr. Spino was born in Greensburg in 1922, shortly after his older sister, Pascalina, died in the Spanish flu pandemic. In memory of his sister and namesake, he pledged at the age of six to become a pediatrician to help save other families from the loss suffered by his family.
In 1954, he opened his solo practice in Greensburg. His approach to patient care followed a few simple rules. First, always practice love. Second, never turn a child away. And third, never keep a child waiting.
“I’ve had some dramatic, dramatic stories,” Dr. Spino says.
One that stands out most in his memory was a house call to a rural farmhouse on a snowy, winter night.
“The mother called me after midnight and said her daughter was very, very sick. I couldn’t get there in my car, but she said if I could make it to their road, she would take care of it. She met me there on horseback and took me up to the house,” Dr. Spino remembers.
In addition to his private practice, Dr. Spino has had a profound effect on the public health system in Greensburg.
In 1954, he founded the first well baby clinic in Westmoreland County, which, to this day, provides free exams and immunizations to children up to 6 years old.
In 1972, Dr. Spino started the Render Any Needy Child Help program to provide medical care for abused children. He then went on to create a Level II nursery and modern pediatric department at Westmoreland Regional Hospital.
Sixty years later, at the age of 85, he still practices a few days a week at Pediatric Associates Westmoreland, the group that purchased his solo practice almost three years ago. He recently was recognized in the National Congressional Record for his commitment to children.
Always humble, Dr. Spino sees nothing remarkable about his achievements.
“I’m practicing what I love. I just love to see the children and their smiles,” he says.
Last Updated: 1/14/2008