For nearly three decades, Joseph Kraut served South County patients
Published in the August 6 – 19, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Zenon Komarczyk
Joseph Kraut
It’s still hard for me to accept that my friend and physician Joseph Kraut, Jr., passed away. Since 1986, he served the medical needs of the South Valley region, filling roles at Saint Louise Regional Hospital such as vice chief of staff, chief of staff, various committees, and the board of directors. He truly was a man born for the healing arts.
At age 55, Kraut suffered fatal injuries from a tragic rock-climbing accident July 15 at the Pinnacles National Park. Many people in Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy will truly miss this compassionate, intelligent and kind man.
Let me relate an example of how Kraut gave quality care to the people who were clients of his medical practice.
I was on a trip to Dallas recently with my wife Noreen and during the trip I got a severe case of gout, for which Kraut treated me previously. The pain was so unbearable that I could hardly walk. So I called the office exchange number to leave a message for him. The time was about 7:30 a.m. in California.
Five minutes later, I was surprised to get a call from Dr. Kraut directly. It was a Saturday morning, and most doctors won’t pick up their phones on weekends. Dr. Kraut said in his friendly voice, “Hey, Zenon, what’s up?”
“The gout’s back again,” I told him. “It’s just like last time.”
He asked if I had a number of a pharmacy near where I was staying and I gave him that information for the local CVS store. Twenty minutes later, the Dallas pharmacist called me to say my prescription was ready.
That’s just one example of the kind of old-fashioned, fine service that Dr. Kraut demonstrated time after time with his client. He didn’t see being a doctor as a pill-popping patient mill. He would never over-prescribe pharmaceuticals to his patients. He didn’t want to over-medicate his clients.
Kraut was genuinely friendly and concerned about his clients’ well-being. He would ask the right questions and really took an interest in his clients personally before he got into the technical or medical issues. He just wanted to know who he was dealing with. He listened more than he spoke and was very personable.
One of the things I liked about him is that he didn’t have a hurried manner. A lot of doctors have poor patient relationship because they will look at the computer screen and hardly make eye contact. Kraut just sat there quietly, listening carefully while you talked. He would ask the appropriate questions or make the right comments. He would really let you talk yourself into a solution.
Zenon Komarczyk is a Morgan Hill resident and a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker.
