Gander obstetrics unit dedicated to long-time local doctor

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 29, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

The halls of James Paton Memorial Hospital successful Gander, N.L., transportation the interaction of Dr. Peter Blackie.

The floors are worn with his proverbial footprints, the departments person been molded by his influence, and the unit present are much than alert of the interaction helium made during his much than 50 years of practice.

Blackie died past February. While ne'er forgotten astatine the hospital, his sanction volition beryllium etched successful the cloth of the gathering itself done a dedication of the caller obstetrics unit.

"It is simply a spot that symbolizes the care, compassion, and unwavering committedness to wellness and well-being that Dr. Blackie embraced passim his career," said Craig Davis, COO of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Service's central zone.

The archetypal Gander-raised doctor, Blackie archetypal began practising medicine successful 1966. He didn't officially discontinue until November 2023. 

There were fewer roles Blackie didn't capable during his career. He had a household practice, worked successful the exigency room, led the squad as chief of unit astatine James Paton and past go its aesculapian director. He besides looked aft the subject unit enlisted astatine the Gander Canadian Armed Forces basal and was the doc who saw to pilots and aerial postulation controllers.

On apical of each that, helium delivered thousands of babies astatine the portion that volition present carnivore his name.

"[It's] the past benignant of large happening I'm acquainted with that helium was progressive in, which was the efforts to get this portion open," said Gander Mayor Percy Farwell. "I deliberation [it's] precise due that it would carnivore his sanction going forward."

For nearly two years, obstetrics patients were diverted to the infirmary successful Grand Falls-Windsor, astir 100 kilometres away. The provincial authorities blamed unit shortages. The prolonged closure prompted protests successful Gander and the unit paid off. The portion re-opened successful March 2024, a month aft Blackie died.

Having his cognition successful dealing with the reinstatement was vital, said Farwell.

"I ever had instant credibility due to the fact that helium was sitting determination adjacent to maine and helium didn't person to accidental anything," helium said. "That's the benignant of power helium surely has. I surely respect and respect him a large deal."

No 1 knew disconnected the enactment Blackie did down the scenes much than his family. While they shared him with the nationalist and aesculapian community, helium ever made the clip for those helium loved most.

"Family and assemblage were the astir important things to him truthful to person that recognized successful specified a meaningful mode is fantastic," said his oldest child, Barbara Blackie. 

In his spare time, her dada was besides an amateur geologist and historian, and was 1 of the radical who helped commencement the North Atlantic Aviation Museum successful the 1990s. Despite each that, his girl said helium ever recovered a mode to walk prime clip with his family.

"He'd worldly aged newspapers, aged envelopes, matches successful 1 pouch and a battalion of bacon oregon blistery dogs successful different pouch and we'd spell traipsing done the forest, determination successful the wilderness wherever we'd airy a fire, person a snack and walk the time outdoors," she said. "That was however helium managed to marque sure, erstwhile we were little, however helium got prime clip with us."

"He was a precise funny soul, helium ever wanted to cognize much astir things, adjacent connected these hikes that we went on."

He besides inspired his girl successful pursuing her dad's footsteps.

"How helium practiced with empathy, however helium treated the idiosyncratic successful the family, however helium was respectful and truthful benignant and caring successful each enactment that helium had — that was a immense inspiration for maine arsenic a physician."

Since it re-opened 1 twelvemonth ago, 179 babies person been calved astatine Gander's obstetrics unit. To person her dad's sanction associated with the portion — and its relation successful the assemblage — is an honour, says Barbara Blackie.

"Dedication, responsibility, honour, empathy, compassion, each those large emotions — emotion — that thrust to bash better, assemblage values — each of those things that are wrapped up successful everything astir today, which is benignant of dada successful a nutshell."

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