Bonner General celebrates National Doctors' Day

Show your appreciation to the physicians in your life by recognizing National Doctors’ Day on Monday, March 30.

Doctors are the backbone of our local medical community. When you’re well, your doctor keeps you well. When you’re sick, your doctor provides healing and comfort to you and your family.

We are fortunate to have a medical community of outstanding, dedicated physicians. Bonner General Hospital has 50 active physicians on its medical staff who live in our community and take care of patients in our hospital on a regular basis.

We also have another 25 physicians on the hospital courtesy medical staff who live in other cities but come to Sandpoint periodically to provide specialized medical services (urology, allergy and ear/nose/throat services, among others) to patients who would otherwise be required to travel to Coeur d’Alene or Spokane.

Each of these active and courtesy staff physicians provides an incredibly vital service to our community.

At Bonner General, we are proud to honor all of our medical staff physicians for making a difference in people’s lives and helping us fulfill our mission to provide quality, compassionate care to our patients.

Their commitment and dedication to the practice of medicine provides a benefit of unmatched value to our area residents.

The first Doctors’ Day observance was held on March 30, 1933, by the Barrow County Alliance, in Winder, Ga.

The idea of setting aside a day to honor physicians was conceived by Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond.

The recognition occurred on the anniversary of the day that anesthesia was first administered to a patient by Dr. Crawford W. Long in 1842.

The observance became a national holiday on Oct. 30, 1990, when former President George Bush designated March 30 as “National Doctors’ Day.” 

On behalf of the entire staff at Bonner General Hospital, we thank and honor our community’s physicians for all they do to keep our community healthy.

• Lynda Metz is the director of community development at Bonner General Hospital.