Headwaters hospital seeks nominations for Dr. David Scott Award

March 14, 2019 · 0 Comments

Written By MIKE BAKER

Headwaters Health Care Centre is seeking nominations for the prestigious Dr. David Scott Award.

It will be a milestone 20th year for the annual award, which was launched by our local hospital in 2000. The Dr. David Scott Award recognizes individuals or groups who have gone above and beyond to improve the overall health and wellness of the Dufferin-Caledon community, and promote links between the hospital and the community.

“This is a truly special award that we at Headwaters Health Care Centre have the privilege of presenting each and every year,” HHCC Board Chair Louise Kindree previously told the Free Press. “While it recognizes the efforts of those in our community that works to establish a closer bond between our hospital and the public, it also serves to honour Dr. David Scott – one of Orangeville’s, and indeed the hospital’s, greatest ambassadors.”

Dr. Scott was the first specialized doctor to practise in Orangeville. Completing his undergraduate for medicine and fellowship in general surgery in Toronto, Dr. Scott returned to the place he always called home in 1962. He strived for greatness throughout the entirety of his 35-year career in the Headwaters region, serving as the Dufferin Area Hospital’s chief of staff and board chair of the Wellington Dufferin District Health Council.

In what many believe to be Dr. Scott’s lasting legacy in the community, he led the charge for a new hospital in Dufferin County. According to Ms. Kindree, with the community quickly outgrowing the Dufferin Area Hospital, Dr. Scott was “instrumental” in ensuring Orangeville was at the top of the list when the provincial government announced its long-term project plans shortly before the new millennium.

While Dr. Scott officially retired from his position 20 years ago, he still found time to volunteer in some capacity at the hospital. It’s that continued commitment that ranks this award as the most important HHCC dishes out each year.

Last year the hospital honoured two members of staff with the award. Dr. Cathy Candusso and Dr. Mercedes Rodriguez served as co-recipients of the 2018 Dr. David Scott Award. They were described as being local leaders in pioneering a more coordinated palliative care effort among physicians, the hospital and the community so as to provide better end-of-life support and care for patients and their families.

Other previous award recipients have been selected for advocacy in many areas, including improving accessibility, fundraising and volunteer leadership with local organizations, improving long-term care, recruiting physicians, establishing after-hours clinics and promoting violence prevention.

The deadline for the Dr. David Scott Award nominations is April 30. The award will then be presented at HHCC’s annual general meeting on June 18. For more information, visit headwatershealth.ca/drdavidscottaward.