An adventurous life might begin as a captive on a remote island somewhere in the Mediterranean. But for a doctor in a small-town family medical practice, adventure is measured in much smaller daily increments.
Jon set up practice in 1979 in the refurbished Sunoco Station in downtown Tilton. He was one of several of the newly graduated family practitioners who had moved into the area looking to work in a small community where he could make a difference, and the adventure began.
In the 1980s, before Franklin Regional Hospital began hiring Emergency Room doctors, the Primary Care doctors would take turns covering the first 24 hour and then 12 hour shifts in the Emergency Room. Every shift was a new adventure.
These doctors worked to set a standard for quality of care at the hospital, creating policies for medical records and board certification in order to attract high quality health care providers and programs to the community. In 1991, Franklin Regional Hospital received the McGaw Prize, being recognized as an outstanding small community hospital, specifically for outreach efforts with social and educational programs.
Over the years, Jon was fortunate to share his practice with Dr. Amy Schneider, Dr. Angela Crane, and Dr. Kaitlin O’Donnell. But he mostly worked as a solo practitioner, preferring to make his own business and practice decisions.
One practice he maintained to the end was making house calls in Franklin, Tilton, and Andover. This had a lot to do with the fact that a large part of his practice was with older patients and those with adult developmental disabilities.
As part of his Family Practice Residency Training at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Jon had done multiple complicated deliveries, which he describes as multiple near-miss nightmares. He decided then and there that Obstetrics would not be part of his practice.
Instead, he found over time that he had an affinity for working with patients with dementia and those with adult developmental disorders. Working in nursing homes was a good fit, and both doctor and patient enjoyed the interaction.
As a result, the contract work he took on started with the New Hampshire Veterans Home, where he became Medical Director in 1984. Other contracts included Spaulding Youth Center, Sisters of the Holy Cross in Franklin (they sent “Father Jon” Christmas cards every year), Genesis Health Care, Golden Crest, and the Peabody Home.
After 42 years in practice, Jon’s patients and staff had become his extended family, sharing crises and joys along the way. These years became more of an adventure than that remote island in the Mediterranean ever could have been.
Dr. Mishcon’s path to retirement in late May involved a transfer of the operation of his Tilton office to HealthFirst Family Care Center, which also has locations in Franklin and Laconia.
Jon’s busy medical practice didn’t leave much time to participate in much else, but he looks forward to getting more involved in volunteer work during retirement. He has been an avid supporter of many Andover services and organizations and was elected Town Moderator for 2019 and 2020, before which he was appointed Town Moderator Pro Tem for the 2018 Town Election and Meeting.