EMPORIA, VA (March 28, 2011) — One of our most important relationships is with our doctor. Doctors are the gatekeepers to our health: in addition to providing preventive care and disease management, they serve as educators, researchers and advocates for good habits and healthy lifestyles. Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center (SVRMC) will honor members of its medical staff in celebration of National Doctors’ Day, on Wednesday, March 30.
Celebrated annually, National Doctors’ Day recognizes the contributions of doctors around the country for their role in healing, patient safety, medical research and advances, and respect for human life and individual dignity.
SVRMC has approximately 85 active and consulting physicians on the medical staff who represent more than 18 specialty areas, including anesthesiology, cardiology, emergency medicine, family practice, gastroenterology, general surgery, gynecology, nephrology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, pathology, psychiatry, radiology, and urology, to name a few. “Physicians play the key role in lifelong health and the well-being of patients, and they contribute significantly to the community.” said Brit Phelps, CEO. “The medical team at SVRMC is outstanding, and we are proud to have them on staff.”
National Doctors’ Day was first observed on March 30, 1933, spearheaded by Eudora Brown Almond, a physician’s wife who wished to set aside a day to honor her husband and other physicians. March 30th is also significant among the medical community because it marks the anniversary of the first surgery using anesthesia, performed by Crawford Long, M.D., a Jefferson, Georgia physician in 1842.
In 1958, Congress adopted a resolution commemorating National Doctors’ Day, but it wasn’t until 1990 that official legislation establishing March 30 as National Doctors’ Day was passed and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. He declared, “There is no greater reward than being entrusted with the care of others. The day-to-day work of healing conducted by physicians throughout the United States has been shaped, in large part, by great pioneers in medical research. However, in addition to the doctors whose names we easily recognize, there are countless others who carry on the quiet work of healing each day in communities throughout the United States – indeed, throughout the world. Common to the experience of each of them, from the specialist in research to the general practitioner, are hard work, stress, and sacrifice.”
If you are looking for a new doctor, a specialist, or you’re simply interested in learning more about the skilled professionals at Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center, visit www.svrmc.com. Click on the “Find a Physician” link, where you can search for a doctor by last name, gender, specialty, and location.