Skin doctor opens office in S. County
By Ellen G. Lahr
Berkshire Eagle Staff
GREAT BARRINGTON -- The South County physician mix now includes a full-time dermatologist, who has ramped up with 58 new patient visits in his first three days in business.
His fast start, he said, is mainly because of rapid referrals from local doctors who have been sending patients to Pittsfield specialists for years.
But those Pittsfield trips have often been preceded with waits that can last months, a frustration for primary-care doctors whose patients have suspicious skin problems.
Dr. Scott Goffin has set up his office at the East Mountain Medical building on South Main Street, sharing space with ophthalmologist Dr. Joseph Gold and cosmetic surgeon Dr. George Csank, a Pittsfield-based practitioner who works part time in Great Barrington.
"I guess everybody's heard there's a new guy in town," said Goffin, 35, a board-certified family practitioner who has just completed his training in the dermatology specialty. "It seems like the right thing for this town."
"All comers are welcome," and can be seen within a week or two, Goffin said.
He was reluctant to make a big move to a rural area to try to set up a medical practice, he said. But when he did an Internet search for dermatologists in Great Barrington, he found not a one.
He was acquainted with Gold from their hometown in Long Island, N.Y., and Gold, who relocated here a few years ago, was encouraging.
Goffin said he'll be treating all dermatological disorders, performing minor surgery and practicing some cosmetic dermatology. With a background in family practice, he said he's comfortable seeing patients of all age groups.
Skin cancer screening will be an important aspect of his practice, he said.
Goffin is one of a number of specialists who have made moves from urban areas to Southern Berkshire County with their medical practices and families.
Besides Gold, who initially joined Dr. Stephen Moore in his ophthalmology practice a few years ago, Dr. Philip Bhark moved here from the Philadelphia area a few years ago to bring cardiology services to Fairview Hospital. South County previously had no full-time cardiologists.
Pittsfield-area specialists have rotated periodically in South County, often on a weekly basis, to provide specialty care services, but area medical professionals say there has been a growing need for full-time specialists.
A call to the office of Dr. Behzad Parhizgar, a Pittsfield dermatologist, revealed that new patients with a nonemergency condition will have to wait until November for an appointment.
For a time, his practice was closed to new patients, but has recently reopened, he said.
Parhizgar said there's a nationwide shortage of dermatologists; the problem is not unique to Berkshire County.
In fact, with six practicing in the county -- two of whom are in North County -- the area is better served than many, he said.
Parhizgar said there are 2,017 counties in the United States -- representing 47 million people -- that have no skin disease specialists. His own search for an associate for his practice has been unsuccessful because it's hard to attract practitioners to Pittsfield, he said.
Dr. Fred Mensch has held rotating office hours periodically in South County, and Dr. Richard Greene also practices in Pittsfield.
Mensch's office was closed Friday, but a receptionist at Greene's office, who declined to give her name, said the office has a sizable caseload of South County patients. Any new patients calling now won't get an appointment until October, she said.
"We are so happy Dr. Goffin has opened his practice down there," she said. "The dermatologists have been trying to get someone to come in for a while."
In June, Goffin completed his residency in dermatology at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in Long Island, and is now eligible for board certification. He also has served as a faculty fellow and chief resident in the hospital's department of family medicine.
He received his osteopathic medicine degree from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1996, when he graduated with honors and was ranked third in his class. He is now on staff at Fairview Hospital.
He and his wife and two children live on North Plain Road in Housatonic.
Eugene A. Dellea, president of Fairview Hospital, said there's been a real need for a local dermatologist because South County patients have waited six weeks or more for appointments with Pittsfield doctors.
"They just can't handle the workload," Dellea said.
Goffin will work a half-day per week at the Hillcrest Family Health Center in Pittsfield as well, Dellea said. "We want him to be successful and want to help get him started."
Parhizgar said Goffin will have no trouble filling his schedule.
"We welcome him," said Parhizgar.
I cannot tell who my sources are. 
