Wednesday, June 04, 2008

City editor

St. Vincent Randolph Hospital physician Alison Syme Tuesday morning was named as the Indiana Rural Health Association's State Doc Hollywood Award recipient. The prestigious award is given annually for outstanding service to the community.

The surprise announcement was made at a reception attended by about 85 members of the SVR physician and nursing staff, hospital board and charitable foundation board members and hospital employees.

In accepting the award, Syme said the honor could easily have gone to any of the physicians at SVR.

"We will use this to further our dreams," she said. "An award with this much prestige and a team of providers with this kind of enthusiasm will make people realize there must be something good happening here."

Syme said she is not aware of any cash award that accompanies the prize but hopes it will open funding opportunities and other financial sources for local health care programs.

Syme said when she and her husband first considered moving to the Randolph County area about 11 years ago they narrowed their search to seven Indiana communities. She said the determining factors that led her to SVR were a supportive group of physicians and health care providers as well as a place where she could grow and would be supported by her co-workers.

"We are proud to have some of the best health care providers in the state," said St. Vincent Physician Network Vice President Bruce Haga. "This prestigious award each year is given to a physician who ensures access to quality health care in rural communities."

St. Vincent Physician Network Regional Practice Administrator Jinnie Vance said she has learned first-hand that Syme approaches her job every day with the attitude that nothing is impossible.

"She has a mission of changing the world, one idea at a time," Vance said.

SVR Chief Operating Officer Cheech Albarano it is nice to see the recognition and various awards SVR physicians have received over the past few years.

"It's nice to see their work recognized at a state level," Albarano said. "The SVR rural healthcare network is recognized on a national level."

More than 500 rural physicians across the state were nominated for the honor. The Doc Hollywood Award each year goes to an individual who cares for patients in rural and other underserved communities throughout the United States.

Neil Shulman, MD, associate producer of the movie Doc Hollywood and author of the film's source book, said raising awareness about physicians who treat patients in rural settings enhances the ability to recruit people into health care professions and rural communities.

IRHA will further acknowledge Syme's accomplishments at the annual Indiana Rural Health Conference, June 17 in French Lick and again, Oct. 14, a date to be designated as Doc Hollywood Day.

St. Vincent Randolph Hospital is a 25-bed hospital in Winchester. The 66,000 square foot facility features all private rooms. It services a 12-bed dialysis unit, birthing center, 24-hour emergency department, imaging and woman's diagnostics, physical rehabilitation, surgery center, sleep disorders clinic, wellness programs, smoking cessation programs and an orthopedic center.

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