Dr. Yoo, who brought generations into the world, soon to retire

HONESDALE — After providing women’s health services in Wayne and Pike Counties for 40 years, Hoon Yoo, MD, will retire in April.
He was the first obstetrician/gynecologist to join the medical staff of Wayne Memorial Hospital and is credited with laying the foundation of what is now the hospital’s New Beginnings Birthing Suites.
“The people of Wayne and Pike Counties didn’t know the services of an OB/GYN," said Dr. Yoo. "I was a pioneer."
He has practiced exclusively at the Honesdale Women's Center since arriving in 1977.
As he prepares for retirement, he thanks “the people here who have worked closest with me and helped me,” referring to his office co-workers, New Beginnings staff, and hospital operating room staff. “Fifty percent of my whole life, I was here. I will miss those who have been around me. Without them where would I be?”
Wayne Memorial CEO David Hoff said New Beginnings is a thriving birthing unit thanks in large part to Dr. Yoo.
“Wayne Memorial is very grateful to him," said Hoff. "In addition, Dr. Yoo has always been a true pillar in our hospital community of patience, skill, and compassion for his patients.”
New Beginnings Birthing Suites now facilitates more than 450 births annually. In December 2012, Dr. Yoo stopped delivering babies but continued to practice gynecology. Even he isn’t certain just how many babies he delivered, but his educated guess is somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000.
His philosophy comes from his father, Do Sun Yoo, MD, a general surgeon in Korea, which is "to see the patient each time for the first time. It doesn’t matter if you’ve followed her for 20 years. When you perform a procedure on that person, you realize the uniqueness of that procedure for that person. That is how to achieve 200 percent concentration every time.”
A 'monumental' teacherJoyce Bannon, a registered nurse at New Beginnings, worked alongside Dr. Yoo for 20 years.
"He was monumental in my obstetrics experience," she said. "He taught me everything I know about OB. He always treated his patients with great respect.”
Bannon not only worked with Dr. Yoo, but was also his patient at one point. She remembers Dr. Yoo telling her prior to her procedure that he prays for all of his patients before surgery that his skills will be on-point.
"It just speaks to the type of man is," Bannon said.
Frederick Jackson, executive director of Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers, said Dr. Yoo "makes every effort to truly connect with his patients and give them the best care possible. He is constantly upgrading his skills and education. Dr. Yoo is what we refer to as a legacy physician for our community. His contribution can be measured by the generations he helped bring into the world. He will be missed.”
Since stepping down from the obstetrics portion of his practice, Dr. Yoo admits he has a little more time on his hands. He says he was up “day and night up with babies” and had virtually no personal life. He said a 24-hour commitment was his work ethic and at times the pace could be quite stressful. But he has no regrets.
“I liked the people," he said. "They didn’t feel well and I wanted to help them. One smile (from the patient) was all it took to take care of my stress.”
So what’s next for Dr. Yoo? In the short term he wants to pursue something non-medical.
“I have always wanted to learn to play the drum but never had time," he said. "I want to take lessons.”
As for long-term goals, Dr. Yoo, is still pondering the possibilities. "When I wake up in the morning, I will have 24 hours in front of me in a totally different chapter in my life," he said. "I used to be valuable as a physician. Now, how will I make my time valuable?”
“I hope when I die people will say 'Dr. Yoo was a needed man.' Not just as a physician, but also after I’ve retired."