Western Infectious Disease Consultants, P.C. (WIDC) was formed on August 1, 1982 when Dr. Norman Fujita began providing inpatient Infectious Disease consultations at what are now Lutheran Medical Center, St. Anthony’s Hospital, St. Anthony’s North Health Campus, and North Suburban Medical Center. In addition, an office for outpatient consultations was established in Wheat Ridge. In 1985, Dr. Susan Mason joined the practice.
Under Dr. Fujita’s and Dr. Mason’s guidance, the practice continued to expand over the next 15 years. WIDC also started providing inpatient consultations to two of the communities’ rehabilitation hospitals at what are now Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital and Vibra Hospital of Denver. In 1995 an Infusion Center was established to provide outpatient intravenous antibiotics therapy. In 1998, the Travel Clinic was opened when Dr. Jeffrey DesJardin joined the practice.
In 2005, Dr. David Lucks moved from outside of Chicago to join WIDC. The practice added a fifth hospital, Avista Adventist Hospital, in 2011. That same year, Dr. Brent Wieland became the fifth full-time physician with the practice.
With the expansion of the practice since 2011, WIDC has three part-time physicians who assist with weekend and vacation coverage. Dr. Marinka Kartalija provides assistance with patients both in the hospital and office. Dr. Mary Ann De Groote, and Dr. Geoffery Clover all routinely work for the practice providing inpatient consultations at the previously mentioned hospitals.
Dr. Susan Mason retired in April of 2012 and after 31 years of practice. Dr. Fujita retired on August 1, 2013. With Dr. Fujita’s retirement, Dr. Sonali Hemachandra moved from Indiana to join WIDC.
Unfortunately and unexpectedly, Dr. David Lucks passed away in October of 2013. With his passing, WIDC hired three additional physicians: Dr. Charlotte Ellenbogen, Dr. Amber Noon, and Dr. Katherine Johnson. Those three joined WIDC in the summer of 2014 as full time physicians. The practice also and expanded both its inpatient and outpatient presence in the North Metro Denver Area and began seeing patients at Good Samaritan Medical Center. As the practice expanded, we were able to open a new office in Broomfield in October of 2014 to serve the northern hospitals and surrounding community.
Currently, the practice is comprised of eleven full-time ID physicians and one part-time physician all of whom are board certified in ID. Our long-standing office in Wheat Ridge and our new northern office in Broomfield are fully staffed and equipped for infusion services. We also have recently initiated providing Telehealth consultative services through St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco, Colorado. Most all of our physicians also participate in the Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Stewardship Committees at the various hospitals we serve.
WIDC remains committed to our primary mission of providing timely, compassionate, and expert consultations in every aspect of Infectious Disease to all patients of the hospitals and community we serve.