The Valley Hospital recently celebrated the opening of the Earl A. Wheaton Jr., MD, Family Care Center in Ridgewood, named in honor of a former Valley physician.
The center, formerly known as Valley’s Community Care Clinic, is located at Valley Health System – Ridgewood Campus, 223 N. Van Dien Ave. It also will serve as the outpatient offices for Valley’s new Graduate Medical Education program, training the next generation of physicians.
Wheaton, an internist and rheumatologist, began his career at Valley in 1960 and served as an officer of the medical staff. He later moved into additional leadership roles, including medical staff president and coordinator of medical affairs and education, until his retirement in 2002.
Known for providing compassionate, personalized care and supporting patients in making educated choices about their health, Wheaton’s impact on the community was recognized through the Valley Hospital Distinguished Physician Service Award, which he received in 1998.
Wheaton passed away in 2021.
“Earl Wheaton dedicated his life to medicine, to the care of his patients and to the development of future Valley doctors,” Audrey Meyers, Valley Health System CEO emeritus, said. “In that spirit, there is no more fitting space to honor Earl’s legacy than this one — the Family Care Center, where our community will receive care and where our new class of residents will train, learn, and grow as physicians.”
