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Selfless Acts of Service: LewisGale Hospital Montgomery Congratulates its Frist Humanitarian Award Winners

April 11, 2012

Blacksburg, Virginia, April 11, 2012 – LewisGale Hospital Montgomery recently presented its prestigious 2011 Frist Humanitarian Awards to a team of physicians, a mother and son duo, and a nurse for their selfless acts of service to the hospital and the community. This is the highest honor a physician, volunteer, or an employee can receive at an HCA facility, the parent company for LewisGale Regional Health System.

The winners included Carrie Estes, R.N, B.S.N, C.N.O.R., 2011 Frist Humanitarian Employee Award; Matthew and Kathy Hubbard, 2011 Frist Humanitarian Volunteer Award, and Drs. Michael Aronson, Richard Boyle, David Berry, Philip Grubbs, James Farmer, and Brian Torre, 2011 Frist Humanitarian Physician Award.

The Frist Humanitarian Awards are given out annually at HCA-affiliated hospitals to an employee, volunteer, and physician who demonstrate extraordinary concern for the welfare and happiness of patients and their communities. The winners from each hospital also have a chance to win the national Frist Humanitarian Award.

At the awards ceremony, the recipients were recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Over the past six years, Matthew and Kathy Hubbard have volunteered more than 1,500 hours at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery alone. They’ve also spent countless hours giving back to the community. Even an illness and constant trips to the doctor didn’t stop Matthew from volunteering, and his mother was always right there by his side running the magazine and candy cart. Everyone has noticed their selfless devotion to putting others first.

For more than 10 years, Carrie Estes has provided exceptional care to patients as a surgical services nurse. You’ll also find her busy around the hospital serving on various committees and service projects.  She was instrumental in the surgical services department adopting The Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley in March of 2010.  Carrie has organized bimonthly dinners, raised hundreds of dollars for renovations, and developed creative projects to help support the center. Her most recent project included a surgical services cookbook with the proceeds used to make Christmas special for the women and children at the center.

Thanks to the efforts of a special team of physicians, a 13 year-old girl from Haiti received a life-changing surgery at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in February.  Doctors Michael Aronson, Richard Boyle, David Berry, Philip Grubbs, James Farmer and Brian Torre devoted their time and resources to help Kethia Serena.  The teenager was so severely burned as a young child her right arm fused to her body leaving her with limited mobility.  The surgery was a success and with the help of these physicians she will soon be going home with a much brighter future.

“We are honored to have these winners as part of our healthcare team,” said Scott Hill, CEO, LewisGale Hospital Montgomery. “They’ve set a standard for other health professionals and epitomize the qualities that make our hospital one of the best in Southwest Virginia for high-quality, compassionate care.”

About LewisGale Hospital Montgomery

LewisGale Hospital Montgomery is part of LewisGale Regional Health System which includes 4 hospitals, 2 regional cancer centers, 6 outpatient centers and affiliations with nearly 700 physicians, including 135 employed providers and 550 independent physicians.  With more than 3.100 employees, its annual payroll is $220.5 million. The system also paid $33 million in taxes and provided more than $86 million in uncompensated care to those most in need in 2010.  LewisGale is also part of HCA Virginia, the largest and most comprehensive healthcare provider in the Commonwealth with more than 13,000 employees.  For more information see www.lewisgale.com.