ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Fifty years ago, a local pediatrician answered a need in the Clay County community for medical services, back when seeing a doctor cost just $17 a visit.
Pediatrician Dr. Dan Spearman said dirt roads covered much of Orange Park when he and two other doctors opened Orange Park Pediatrics in what looked like a strip mall, before their facility in the heart of Orange Park was built.
Back in the 1970s, they serviced our entire area.
“We went to three or four hospitals every morning,” Spearman explained. “We’d see all the babies in the hospitals and the sick kids at Wolfson (Children’s Hospital), and had to be back here by 10:30 in the morning. So, morning rounds were a little bit hectic.”
Spearman said being able to pay the bills depended on the patients.
“My partner and I would go to the post office every day to see if we got a check in so we could pay our rent for the month. Checks from patients,” he recalled.
In more recent years, Orange Park Peds joined forces with Baptist Medical Center, which has a regional reach. The medical giant celebrated the pediatric facility’s milestone with balloons, a large cake and other treats last week.
Enjoying the perks of the partnership, Spearman and his team are still determined to maintain their strong community connections.
“The whole office says I’m bad about giving out my cell phone number,” Spearman laughed.
He said he’s had the honor of seeing a third, and occasionally a fourth generation of patients come through his doors.
Being grounded in the community has made the Orange Park Peds team an integral member of local families for decades.
News4JAX also spoke with one of Spearman’s colleagues about the practice’s 50-year milestone.
With two young adult children of her own, Dr. Shiree Sauer joined the practice nearly 29 years ago.
“As a parent, you know how humbling an experience it is,” she said of being able to relate to families’ needs. “I think it helps a lot to parents to know that there are a lot of different approaches, and nothing is perfect, but it makes your advice much more relatable, I think.”
Going forward, Sauer said Orange Park Peds is ready to serve the community for another 50 years.
“We got it!” she exclaimed confidently. “We are Clay County!”
It’s music to Spearman’s ears, even after working more than 50 years in pediatrics.
“I really find that if I stay home, I get really bored fast,” he explained.
“My wife and I, I think, get along a lot better if I work a couple days a week just because she says, ‘Oh please find something to do,’” Spearman said with a chuckle.
He’s a jokester, thank goodness.
One needs a great sense of humor to work with children, and those in his own family — three adult children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Press play below to watch the full conversation between News4JAX Anchor Joy Purdy and Dr. Spearman