Surgeons are added to staff at SMC

Samaritan Medical Center's general surgery woes are weakening.

Last fall, there were two doctors left to cover emergency surgery at the Watertown hospital, but the addition of Dr. Kenneth Brydges and Dr. Bradfod K. Bilicki in July provide a total of five general surgeons.

One of the surgeons, Dr. Jan K. Turcotte, however, is focusing primarily on breast surgery.

Krista A. Kittle, SMC spokeswoman, said the new doctors will join Dr. Robert O. Kimball and Dr. Leo J. Gosselin Jr.

"More general surgeons means they're on call less," she said. "We do expect another general surgeon, Eduardo Barayuga, to begin at some point later this summer, so that will leave us with six, including Dr. Turcotte."

Dr. Brydges, who joined North Country Surgical Specialists, 1571 Washington St., will provide standard general surgery procedures, including treatment of breast diseases and breast cancer, endocrine diseases, hernias, appendicitis, gallstones and pancreatic cancer, among other procedures.

He received a medical degree at New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, and completed his internship and general surgery residency training at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse. He is a diplomate with the American Board of Surgery.

Dr. Bilicki is co-located with Dr. Kimball and Dr. Turcotte at 428 Washington St., Suite 1. He'll also provides standard general surgery procedures.

After he received his medical degree from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., Dr. Bilicki completed an internal medicine internship and general surgery residency training at Michigan State University's Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital, Pontiac, Mich.

Samaritan Medical Center also recently welcomed a urologist and a gastroenterologist.

Dr. David Butters joined Dr. Seetharaman Ashok in practice at Samaritan Urology, 19324 U.S. Route 11, in mid-June.

He has a special interest in diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer and interstitial cystitis, a chronic inflammation of the bladder, and provides a full range of urology services.

Dr. Butters received his medical degree from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and completed his internship and urology residency training at Ottawa Civic Hospital. He also served on the medical staff of Meadville Medical Center, Meadville, Pa.

Dr. David Reindl, who arrived at SMC in early June, received his medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine, Grenada, West Indies. His internal medicine residency training and gastroenterology fellowship training was at Lankenau Hospital, Wynnewood, Pa.

He is a diplomat with the American Board of Internal Medicine with special certification in gastroenterology.

Dr. Reindl is co-located with Dr. Gerald Weinstein at Digestive Healthcare, 228 Sherman St., where he provides services such as endoscopy, colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, acid reflux and inflammatory bowel disease care.