The week before this issue hit the streets, Dr. Harvey Himelstein celebrated his first year of family practice...in the Village, that is. Dr. Himelstein has been practicing for 43 years, tried retirement, and decided to start over, this time in Broad Ripple.

"I started practicing medicine July 1, 1965," recalled Dr. Himelstein. "Southwest Indianapolis - 1745 Howard Street. Right next door was Beak's Pharmacy, an old fashioned drug store."

He joined two other doctors at that location who had started in 1953 - Dr. A. Allan Fisher and Dr. Max Freeman. Dr. Freeman was in the process of moving his practice to Carmel. Two years later Dr. Fisher and Dr. Himelstein moved to a new location at 3500 Lafayette Road. Dr. Himelstein kept the Howard Street facility for another year and a half, commuting between the two offices.

Dr. Fisher became the director of the family practice residency program at Indiana University. In 1970, Dr. Himelstein, Dr. Irving Cohen, and Dr. Fisher started the family practice residency program at St. Vincent Hospital.

A doctor from the first class of the St. Vincent program, Dr. Moreto, joined Dr. Himelstein at the Lafayette Road office. Over the years more doctors joined the practice known as Northwest Family Physicians. In 2003 they moved the offices to Georgetown Road. Dr. Himelstein retired in March 2007.

"It became quite obvious after a couple of months of enjoying doing all the things I always wanted to do, that the thing I loved the most is taking care of people."

Dr. John Dugan and Dr. John Krol had practices on the north bank of the canal. Dr. Dugan was winding down his practice in Broad Ripple at about that time so there was an opportunity for Dr. Himelstein to come out of retirement at the 6320 Ferguson Street location. Dr. Himelstein and Dr. Krol are now associates, they share the offices, but maintain separate practices.

Many of Dr. Himelstein's patients from his Georgetown Road location have started coming to his Ferguson office. "[In this smaller office environment] I can spend more time with each patient and focus on preventative medicine-diet, medications, and exercise...which is good. It is ideal," said Dr. Himelstein as he explained how many larger offices in expensive locations have to move the patients through quickly to maintain profits.

"This office is like my first office [in 1965]," said Dr. Himelstein. "I have one person that checks in my patients, checks out my patients. I take calls seven days a week from my patients."

"This is an interesting, eclectic area. It makes you feel like you're not really practicing in Indianapolis, it gives you a small town feeling."

Dr. Himelstein's family practice also offers many procedures including minor surgeries, gynecological, urological, liquid nitrogen freezing of surface cancers and warts, physicals - promoting good health, and immunization updates.

Being north of the canal on Ferguson often makes it tough for new patients to find the office. The one-way streets make it harder. "You say Connor's Pub, they know where that is! Connor's Pub is right across the street," chuckled Dr. Himelstein.