Chuang family celebrated and remembered with dedication of Mercy Health's new medical building in Oberlin

OBERLIN — In a canopy filled with people he knew, in front of a new medical center being named after him and his wife, Dr. Wuu-Shung Chuang had a lot of hands to shake Tuesday afternoon. Chuang and his wife Amy are the namesake of the new Mercy Health Chuang Medical Center, a 20,000-square-foot medical office building next to Mercy Health Allen Hospital. Chuang said the two of them started practicing at the Oberlin Clinic in 1978 and retired after more than 35 years. The room was filled with former physicians Chuang worked with, as well as former patients. One of those hands he shook was former patient David Orr, who went to Chuang for about 15 years before he retired. "Wuu-Shung was a great doctor, and he was missed when he retired," he said. Along with the patients, many of the physicians Chuang worked with came out to. Dr. Rick Hetsko worked with Chuang at the Oberlin Clinic up until it closed in 1999. He said Chuang was the right mix of caring and capable. "He always had a positive attitude," Hetsko said. "He was always a very happy guy to be around. But he knew he stuff inside out." Mercy Health Market President Ed Oley first met Chuang when he became the head of Allen Hospital in late 2000. Working together to save the hospital, which was in financial distress at the time, he said it was evident Chuang was a no-nonsense businessman, while also being a compassionate doctor. Oley said throughout the process the Chuang family members were ambassadors, confidants and cheerleaders for the saving of the hospital. He said the naming of the building will be a testament to the family's firm commitment. Mercy Health Allen Hospital President and COO Char Wray said the new medical building will bring specialists to Oberlin in a new state of the art facility. Along with a variety of types of care, the clinic will offer walk-in appointments, and a community room. The new building is part of the Mercy Health family and it will continue to help bring care to Oberlin and Lorain County. "Our goal is to meet the patients where they are at," she said. In the community room, Wray said she is working with Dr. W. Jeanne McKibben on a display that will show both the history of the hospital, as well as the history of medicine in Oberlin. The new building sits next to what used to be the Oberlin Clinic, now owned by the hospital. Now that the new building is complete, the practices in the old building will move into the new building. Wray said previously that the Oberlin Clinic would be torn down when the weather breaks in the spring. Hetsko still practices part time in the Oberlin Clinic building and will be making the move. "I think it's going to be kind of bittersweet," he said. "The facility was getting old, but it has a lot of great memories." Oley agreed, saying the dedication was a joyous occasion, but also a sentimental one. He said the Oberlin Clinic was one of the finest practices in Ohio, and it, along with the doctors who worked there, made a lasting impact. "We will never forget the contributions of the Oberlin Clinic," he said. While the clinic will be going, McKibben said the Chuang Medical Center makes an important statement. "The building says that medicine is important in Oberlin," she said. Contact Sean McDonnell at 329-7148 or smcdonnell@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMcDonnellCT.