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Dr. Wainman ready to reopen East Washington Street office
More than a year after the fire that heavily damaged several buildings on Washington Street, Dr. Perry Wainman is set to reopen his dental office on Monday, July 14.
Following the massive structure fire, Wainman opened a temporary location at 125 E. Washington St. in the Elliott Professional Building owned by optometrist Dr. Russell Elliott.
Wainman and his staff had moved into the temporary location after being closed for nearly seven weeks after the fire.
"We waited five weeks before we made the decision to come back because we didn't know if this was salvageable," Wainman said. "I wasn't ready to retire. I've had 40-some years here. I just can't walk away and leave a legacy with a big hole here."
The seven-week closure led to the office being behind nearly two months on patients. However, with the help of fellow community dentists, Wainman was able to keep on track and operational.
"We've got some great dentists here in town," he noted. "They've been unbelievably good in helping cover for me when I was out. They were more than happy to keep us operational as far as patient load.
Although, the temporary office was formerly occupied by the dental practices of both Dr. William Frisbie and Dr. Gina Norman-Boatright, there is truly no place like home for Wainman and his staff.
"I'm excited to be back home," Wainman said with a smile. "We were spoiled over here. We have more than enough room. It made it nice and convenient for that reason. We made due (at the other location). We will never complain about it. It allowed us to keep operational. We were very blessed to be able to have a place to go."
Moving back into the 3,200-square-foot location after operating for more than 13 months in 900 square feet with only four operating rooms is a welcome change for both Wainman and his staff, who lost more than 70 percent of the office from smoke, water and mildew damage in the May 17, 2013 fire.
"We were able to salvage two out of the six dental units and chairs and one out of three X-ray machines. All the cabinetry was lost due to the mildew and mold," Wainman explained. "We lost a lot of our records, but we had them all on backup. Now we've gone digital. I also had no office over there, so I had an office at a different building."
With the rebuilding nearly complete, Wainman, his staff and patients will be walking into a much different office from what they had prior to the fire, such as a relocated pay window, which will give patients much more privacy.
"There was a little bit of benefit from it," Wainman explained. "The biggest change that we've noticed in the 14 years is the upgrades in the fire protection and electric codes. We are all the way up to snuff on everything. It's just been changes in the laws in the last 13-14 years and we have a much safer place here now."
Wainman's newly renovated office will also include six operation rooms along with a newly added consultation room as well as a brand new security system.
"I've had considerable (out of pocket expenses). Most of it was my retirement savings, but it was worth it," Wainman said. "My wife (Rose) has been unbelievably supportive. We've had to sacrifice two years of vacations, but that's OK. This is a bigger priority here. I couldn't have done it without her."
As Wainman and his staff look toward a brighter future in their newly renovated home, Wainman is hoping for a bit of a break, which means possibly hiring a part-time dentist to help with patients.
"Six months to a year from now, I'm hoping we will be back full force. I would like to give myself a little bit of a breather," Wainman explained. "I want to make sure that someone comes in here that I feel comfortable with and my patients feel comfortable with."
As Wainman gears up for the grand opening, he assures he is not going slowing down any time soon.
"I'm going to be a nervous wreck the first week," Wainman said with a chuckle. "I'm looking for another five years before I even think about retiring. As long as my health is good and I enjoy what I'm doing, I'm going to stick with it. It's part of my personality I suppose. I enjoy decision-making. I can't just sit back."
Wainman noted that if a patient has a dental emergency during the time his office is temporarily closed for two weeks, patients can call his office at 653-8615 to be referred to another dentist in the community until the office is operational.
Due to ongoing construction in the alley behind Wainman's office, patients will have to use the front entrance on East Washington Street for a short time.
"I'm glad I live in Greencastle," he added. "I've never been sorry a day I've been here."