Dr. Joseph Mathey and the Doctor-Patient Relationship

This month we have been asked to reflect on the doctor-patient relationship.  In Steuben County, an extraordinary provider has been Dr. Joseph Mathey, who has over 35 years of experience.  Dr. Mathey was chief medical officer at Corning Inc., and is part of a small family practice office in Corning, NY, part of the Arnot Health network.  His connection with the local community has been extraordinary.

While at Corning, he helped rescue a remote acquaintance who developed appendicitis in Shanghai.  The connection: the patient's roommate's mother called Dr. Mathey, who then felt called into action, arranging the woman's medical care in Shanghai and making sure that international payment wouldn't be a barrier.

In 2010, Dr. Mathey was recognized as provider of the year by Steuben Rural Health Network, and in 2011, Dr. Mathey received the Dr. Gary Ogden Rural Health Practitioner of the Year Award from the New York State Association for Rural Health.  The citation from NYSARH noted that Dr. Mathey "assist[ed] patients with chronic or terminal illness and establish[ed] the support systems they need, includ[ing] going out of his way to help an adult child find local employment so they could return home to provide support for a dying parent."  He also did an extraordinary job in occupational health at Corning, establishing their tobacco-free corporation status and also the employee assistance program.

While accolades and articles may be one measure of Dr. Mathey's success, I find smaller recognitions like this one, a family written obituary for an elderly Corning resident, to be the most touching.  The obituary noted that the family's gratitude to "her Corning physician, Dr. Joseph Mathey who always had the time to converse and share stories with her."  One extraordinarily powerful role for physicians is to comfort the sick and elderly, and the recognition from the families of his patients attests to Dr. Mathey's dedication and achievement.