Three Hamilton County leaders are being honored by the Tennessee Medical Association for their distinguished service to improve the health of the community and their contributions to medicine.
The local honorees, who were nominated for the awards by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society, are:
-Mitch Mutter, M.D., Outstanding Physician Award
-Walter Puckett, M.D., Distinguished Service Award
-Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, Community Service Award
The three will be honored at an April 19 awards luncheon held during the TMA Annual Meeting in Nashville. "We are extremely proud of these outstanding leaders,"€ Medical Society president Vincent A. Viscomi, M.D., said on Monday. "They have contributed in significant ways to improve the health of our community and to the practice of medicine."
Outstanding Physician Award
The 2008 TMA Outstanding Physician Award will be presented to Mitchell Mutter, M.D., of Chattanooga; Edward W. Reed, M.D., of Memphis; and Joseph L. Willoughby, M.D., of Franklin. The Award is presented annually by the members of the TMA House of Delegates to member physicians who have made their own personal mark on the profession of medicine in Tennessee, and on those whom they have worked with and known during their illustrious medical careers.
Dr. Mutter is receiving the award for his longtime leadership in organized medicine and his humanitarian aid work in Haiti.
"Dr. Mutter is indeed a true paragon of the medical profession who embodies all the very best in principles and practice for which physicians strive and, in this instance, achieve," said CHCMS past President Peter Rawlings, M.D.
In 2001, Dr. Mutter's longtime commitment to medical missions in Haiti led him to create and incorporate the Children's Nutrition Program of Haiti, a faith-based non-profit organization committed to improving the health and development of Haitian children. CNP provides health and nutrition education for mothers; offers health care, including mobile medical clinics, vaccination and critical care programs, and rehabilitation for severely malnourished children; and works with other organizations on safe well water programs.
His work led to being named the 2001 recipient of the American Medical Association's prestigious Nathan Davis International Award in medicine and public health. In 2007, he received the Tennessee Hospital Association's Medical Staff Meritorious Service Award.
In Chattanooga, Dr. Mutter also gives selflessly to Project Access as a volunteer physician and recruiter, and chairs the foundation that oversees the program; he also volunteers for other mission projects for needy patients.
Dr. Mutter has served numerous leadership roles in medicine and organized medicine. He is a former president of the CHCMS and served on its board of directors, and has been a longtime delegate to the TMA House of Delegates, as well as, chairman of an HOD Reference Committee. He is the current president of the Medical Foundation of Chattanooga, was the inaugural chairman and board member of the Tennessee Physicians Quality Verification Organization, LLC, and is a current member of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners, serving as vice president in 2006 and president in 2007.
He recently completed a three-year term as chief of staff at Erlanger Medical Center, and is a previous chair of the Department of Medicine at St. Mary's Medical Center. A former University of Tennessee Volunteers football team offensive lineman, Dr. Mutter still serves as an associate clinical professor in the UT College of Medicine's Department of Medicine in Knoxville and Chattanooga.
TMA Distinguished Service Award
Walter Puckett, M.D., of Chattanooga and Albert J. Grobmyer, III, M.D., of Memphis will receive the 2008 TMA Distinguished Service Award.
The Distinguished Service Award has been presented annually since 1963 by the TMA Board of Trustees to exemplary members of the Association for their notable achievements during the last calendar year. Recipients are physician members who deserve recognition for outstanding service or contribution to the advancement of medical science, or to this Association, or to the public welfare, whether of a civic or scientific nature.
Dr. Puckett was nominated for his leadership and involvement with Project Access, a program to provide healthcare services to low-income uninsured residents of Hamilton County.
He has served as the volunteer medical director of the Hamilton County Project Access Community Health Initiative since its inception in April 2003. Five years later, the program has coordinated nearly $25 million in free healthcare to needy patients in the county. He has served on the Project Access Operations Council, which develops program policy and operational procedures for the initiative, and recently worked with staff to create a new orthopedic clinic for Project Access and Volunteers in Medicine patients. Outside of Project Access, Dr. Puckett volunteers regularly for community health fairs, conducts health screenings in various settings, and makes himself available to consistently help those in need.
Currently the director of Cardiac Education and chief of Cardiology at Erlanger Health System, Dr. Puckett has been recognized several times for his outstanding teaching ability; he was named Erlanger Health System's Outstanding Teacher in 1981, 2001, and 2006; he also received the Augustus McCravey Award for Lifetime of Excellence in Medical Education in 2001.
"At a time when many people might be thinking about retirement, Walter Puckett has continued to care for those most in need, to educate and motivate a new generation of physicians, and to ensure that hundreds of those who have health issues, but lack insurance, receive quality care," said Dr. Rawlings.
Community Service Award
Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey was nominated for the 2008 TMA Community Service Award by the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society for spearheading the Step ONE Initiative in Hamilton County.
Step ONE (Optimize with Nutrition and Exercise) is a county-wide effort to address obesity among adults and children by promoting physical fitness, good eating practices and healthy lifestyles. The program is a partnership between the Mayor, the Hamilton County Regional Health Council and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department. Some of the Step ONE strategies include educational programs for children in public schools, including Fruit Fridays, the development of walkable routes to schools, and the appointment of a school health programs coordinator. Other initiatives include making neighborhoods more exercise friendly, the development of an EatSmart Restaurant program and efforts to implement Step ONE recommendations among families in their homes the last two initiatives are being funded by a three-year Healthy Starts grant from Junior League of Chattanooga.
"Since its earliest days, County Mayor Ramsey has taken a deep and personal interest in the initiative,†said Dr. Rawlings, adding Mayor Ramsey personally became a role model for the program by dieting and increasing his own physical activity. “Mayor Ramsey has remained actively involved, serving as a public spokesperson, mobilizing county government to address the Step ONE goals and Objectives."
Mayor Ramsey's leadership and commitment has been a key component of the Step ONE Initiative's success, according to the CHCMS. "With very little funding, but a lot of willpower and community mobilization effort, County Mayor Ramsey, the Hamilton County Health Department, and the Regional Health Council are creating a profound shift in the actions and attitudes of Hamilton County residents," said Dr. Rawlings.
Community Services Awards were also presented to:
-Governor Phil Bredesen for his diligent efforts to pass the “Non-Smokers Protection Act,†which outlawed smoking in most workplaces across Tennessee. He was nominated by the Memphis Medical Society.
-Capshaw Elementary School in Cookeville for its significant contribution to improving the health of its young students. Nominated by the Putnam County Medical Society (PCMS), Capshaw Elementary has placed an emphasis on healthy food choices and the importance of exercise through educational initiatives in both the classroom and the cafeteria.