While doctors across the country will be honored with dinners, gifts or other tokens of appreciation this Doctors’ Day, the doctors at Northern Hospital have decided to go against the grain. National Doctors Day is a doctor appreciation day held each year on March 30th. This day was established to recognize physicians, their work and their contributions to society and the community. It is a time where many doctors around the country are given thank you gifts such as jackets, umbrellas or executive pens. Over the years, Northern Hospital has recognized its community of physicians with appreciation dinners or gifts. This year however, the physicians at Northern voted to forgo gifts or dinners and instead wanted to focus on giving back to the community. At a recent Medical Executive Committee, physician leaders agreed to make donation to the United Fund of Surry in the amount of $2,650.
“We wanted to make a contribution that would benefit those who need it most, right here in the community where we live and work. Dinners and gifts are nice, sure, but do we really need them? We became doctors to serve and asking the hospital to make this monetary donation in our honor of our work is all the appreciation we need,” said Dr. Druery DeVore, Chief of Staff at Northern and physician at Northern OB-GYN.
“When our physicians made the recommendation of a donation in their honor, we were happy to oblige. The United Fund of Surry has served the needs of Surry County citizens for 60 years through its 26 local member agencies and we are very excited to support such a wonderful effort!” said Ned Hill, president and CEO at Northern. “Northern Hospital would like to thank all of our local health care providers for their role in caring for the sick, advancing medical knowledge, and promoting good health.”
“On behalf of the United Fund of Surry and the twenty six agencies that it supports, we greatly appreciate this gift in honor of the physicians of Northern Hospital of Surry County. These physicians already serve our community 24 hours a day, seven days a week but yet they have chosen another opportunity to give back to the people of Surry County. This donation speaks volumes,” commented Merry Craig Boaz, United Fund Director.
Doctors’ Day observances date back to March 30, 1933. It was started by Eudora Brown Almond of Winder, Georgia. The day marks the anniversary of the first use of general anesthesia in surgery. On March 30, 1958, the United States House of Representatives adopted a resolution commemorating Doctors’ Day. In 1990, Congress approved legislation that the President signed establishing National Doctors Day.
