By Steve Bigham

For Newtown resident Jack Fong, there is no greater joy than putting a smile on the face of a sick child. And over the years, this pediatrician has seen a lot of sick kids.

“Saving the life of an older person is wonderful, but when you save the life of a one-year-old or a 10-year-old, there is nothing more rewarding. When we do that, we are investing in our own future,” Dr Fong said during a recent interview.

Since 1985, Dr Fong has been director of pediatrics at Danbury Hospital, putting to good use his attributes as both a top-flight clinical researcher and teacher. Born in Montreal but raised in Hong Kong, Dr Fong was drawn to the medical field after witnessing first-hand the various ways to treat people. In Montreal, he saw the westernized methods for treating pain and illness. In Hong Kong, he observed ancient oriental means of treatment, acupuncture and the use of herbs and other natural remedies.

“I was fascinated by this,” he recalled.

Today, Dr Fong, 58, wages a war against modern-day evils such as AIDS, poverty, drugs and other problems facing the youth at the turn of the century. And the influx of immigrants into the United States has made the task of tackling these issues that much more challenging. In July 1997, Dr Fong became the first doctor to board the “Wellness on Wheels” bus, which visits homeless shelters, subsidized housing and other areas in Danbury where children are not always able to receive the best care. The mobile health van provides primary care and prevention services to underinsured children and adults.

“Last year we provided service to almost 2000 patients. Sixty to 70 percent of them were children,” Dr Fong said. “Most do not have insurance. Most are just off the boat, so to speak.”

The number one priority for Dr Fong is to achieve 100 percent immunization of children. The Healthy People 2000 Initiative set the goal of child immunizations at 90 percent. The Danbury area is well passt that.

“We are doing very well in terms of vaccines for preventable diseases,” he explained.

All treatment is free for those who can not afford it.

Dr Fong arrived in Danbury in 1985 after succeeding Dr Thomas Draper as the hospital’s chief of pediatrics. It was a time that saw AIDS emerging within the United States population. As a recognized immunologist, however, Dr Fong was well equipped to deal with it.

“HIV is very sad. Four million kids are born each year. Of those, 5,000 are born from HIV-infected mothers. A quarter of the HIV-infected mothers will give it to their child,” he explained.

The numbers are going down, but Dr Fong believes more can be done. It’s time to take away the social stigma of AIDS and HIV and begin treating it like syphilis or gonorrhea, two diseases for which women are tested during pregnancy.

“We could save like 900 lives. Transmission is usually at or close to the time of delivery,” Dr Fong explained.

However, as he points out, laws governing the treatment of HIV infection prevent doctors from universal testing, with patient notification, as a routine component of prenatal care. Dr Fong says the laws, passed more than a decade ago, give “little or no consideration of the rights of children to a healthy life.”

Dr Fong says the bureaucratic red tape, regulations and monitored process and policies that today’s doctors must follow often frustrate him. In some cases, the rules prevent physicians from providing the best possible treatment.

Nature Vs Nurture

 Children are born with certain genes, which dictate how they will behave. However, Dr Fong believes much of who or what they become is affected by how they are raised. Kids learn from what they see. They copy, he said.

“The role models have to be the parents,” said Dr Fong, who is hailed for the compassion and rapport he has with children and their parents.

The doctor believes that parents need to spend more time with their children. Technology, he said, has lowered the amount of time parents spend with their kids.

“We miss the social interaction. We’re not putting the kids as priority,” he said. “Parents that care and focus their attention toward their children, these kids may still be rotten, but chances are a lot less,” he said.

Dr Draper believes his colleague’s compassion for children is what has made him such an invaluable resource within the Danbury area. He is committed to public service and had led the expansion of the hospital’s pediatric health center, which serves thousands of patients each year.

“He’s a clinical scientist. He is recognized as a clinic researcher and was considered the best pediatric teacher while at Montreal,” noted Dr Draper, who, although retired, still works closely with his colleague. “He’s a genuine guy. What you see is what you get.”

Dr Fong returned to Montreal to earn his medical degree from McGill University (1964-68). He then studied pediatrics at the University of Minnesota before returning to McGill as an associate professor of pediatrics at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. He came to Newtown in 1985 and now lives in Newtown with his wife Margaret. His three sons are Jay, 28, a doctor in residency, Derek, 25, currently in medical school, and Christopher, 21, a senior at the University of Connecticut. A musical family, Mrs Fong plays the piano, Dr Fong plays the violin, Jay plays the piano, Derek is a violinist, and Christopher is a singer and a cellist.