WRITTEN BY | NICOLE WEST A Veterinary Clinic Blends State-of-the-art Technology with Traditional Values
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Technology in many ways has made our lives simpler and faster. As in all industries, medicine has be- come very high-tech in recent years, helping doctors to perform thorough, less-invasive examinations to hasten diagnoses. However, patients sometimes feel like faceless numbers in a doctor’s fast-paced
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OWNERS// Drs. Mark and Danielle Paradise, Greenville, R.I., www.northpaws.com
day—nothing like the days of country doctors who took the time to have conversations with their patients to really understand their ailments, increasing patients’ comfort levels and often leading to better diagnoses and treatments. Drs. Mark and Danielle Paradise, owners
of NorthPaws Veterinary Center, Greenville, R.I., believe in “modern medicine, traditional values,” making those words the tagline of their veterinary practice. The building they practice in—a retrofi tted 150-year-old Victo- rian home—is the physical embodiment of their philosophy. Mark Paradise, VMD, explains: “My wife and I offer high-level, technologically advanced care: We have digital x-rays, ultra-
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sounds, in-house blood work and electronic medical records. But we wanted to start a prac- tice that had that old, country-doctor feel. We take the time to learn what’s best for clients and their pets based on the circumstances. We try to balance the high tech with a homey feel.” Helping to create that balance was Ed
Lyons, president of Falcon Associates Architects Inc., Sharon, Mass. Lyons has made animal hos- pitals a niche of his 35-year-old fi rm but had never designed one like NorthPaws Veterinary Center. “I’ve always been very contemporary,” he says. “But you couldn’t renovate this build- ing and not pay attention to what it was.” The Paradises fortunately had strong ideas about what they wanted, helping Lyons to