Reach Out & Read Southern Arizona Dr. Neil Russakoff Leaves Lasting Impact
Dr. Neil Russakoff was a strong advocate for Reach Out & Read Southern Arizona, and served on the Reach Out & Read Southern Arizona‘s Advisory Council. He was incredibly dedicated to his patients. He will be greatly missed. We would like to share some of the incredible ways that Dr. Neil Russakoff left a lasting impact on his patients and colleagues.
$3609 of donations in support of Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona were donated in Neil’s name. Thank you to these donors for giving in memory of Dr. Russakoff.
Stories from his Colleagues in Memory of Dr. Russakoff
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“I feel so fortunate to have worked with him at Clara Vista Pediatrics. I love that because of his commitment to literacy our clinic has such a thriving Reach Out and Read program. Kids love getting a book at their check ups and I think that this speaks to his wonderful legacy. – Jennifer Martin
“Neil was a great guy- very quiet, dedicated and thoughtful. He was our secretary for years and enjoyed doing the minutes for the RORSA Advisory Board meetings. He was most generous with his time and a pleasure to work with.” – Will Creamer
“He was essentially a very nice person– quiet, reserved, and hardworking. I knew him as a resident, and we subsequently shared a few very complicated patients when he went into practice. Neil was outstanding in his dedication to these patients, and always followed up to make sure the children’s and family needs were met. I also know Neil and his family loved animals and adopted greyhounds when their racing careers were over.” – John Hutter
“I had applied for an MA position with ACP. I was contacted by the Site Coordinator to set up an interview and was told I would be working with Dr Russakoff if hired. I met with her first since Dr Russakoff was not in the office that day. She told me he was very easy-going and very quiet. When I was called back for a second interview, this time with Dr Russakoff, I quickly understood what she meant by quiet. He did not say much, did not really ask much either. I did ask him what he wanted from his MA-his answer was, “just do your work.” I also asked him, what is your biggest pet peeve, he thought about it for a minute and then said, “drama…..I don’t like drama.” I said, “OK, leave the drama at home, got it!” We laughed and that was it. I found out I was hired a bit after that interview. Once I started working with him I wanted to make sure I was the best MA I could be. You never could tell if he was satisfied since he was a man of few words. After a couple of weeks I asked if he needed me to do anything differently. His response was “no, not that he could think of.” He was a man of few words. It did not matter though, he was a great doctor to work for. Everyone enjoyed working with him, he was easy going, had a good sense of humor and never really seemed to let anything get to him. I was very lucky to be able to work with him for the time that I did (2yrs). He is missed around here daily- his calm, easy going ways. We would all be lucky if we were more like him, talked about like him in such high regard. I guess what they say is true, only the good die young. – Jennifer Kennedy (Medical Assistant/VFC Coordinator)
