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The tremendous health care services available at Glens Falls Hospital are due to a partnership between the Hospital and the region’s many outstanding doctors. The Hospital’s Board of Governors recently thanked three of those doctors for their partnership with the presentation of its first Physician Awards of Excellence to Philip J. Gara Jr., M.D., Patricia L. Hale, M.D. and Robert W. Sponzo, M.D. Board Vice-Chairman Michael B. Clarke, president of Glens Falls-Lehigh Cement Co., says the doctors were honored for exemplifying the values of the Hospital; demonstrating leadership to their peers and staff; receiving acclaim from patients and family members; helping to develop and expand an important Hospital program or service; and advancing Glens Falls Hospital’s reputation for excellence. Dr. Gara has worked in close partnership with the Hospital since becoming medical director of the Hospital’s Center for Occupational Health in 1993. The Center is committed to helping area businesses keep their employees healthier and more productive by providing on-site occupational health nurses, physicians and physician’s assistants; customized physical exams; drug and alcohol testing; work-related injury/illness treatment; CPR & First Aid training; and other services. Today, the Center provides programs and services to more than 200 businesses and organizations across the region. Dr. Gara practices at Southern Adirondack Medical Associates in Fort Edward. Dr. Hale was honored for her work to create a safer workplace for Glens Falls Hospital employees and reduce the not-for-profit Hospital’s worker’s compensation costs. Working closely with doctors and nurse care managers, Dr. Hale developed a comprehensive return-to-work program that helped injured employees recover and return to work faster, reducing the total number of lost work days by 50 percent between 1997 and 1998. Dr. Hale also practices at Southern Adirondack Medical Associates in Fort Edward. As medical director of The Cancer Center at Glens Falls Hospital, Dr. Sponzo has guided the Center to the forefront of cancer treatment and research in northern New York. Under Dr. Sponzo’s leadership, the Center was certified as a comprehensive community cancer center by the Commission on Cancer in 1992 —the highest level of distinction for a community hospital. He has successfully secured important research and grant funding for program expansion, and played a leading role in the development of the Center’s award-winning breast cancer screening and education program. Dr. Sponzo is also northeastern New York’s principal investigator for the major national breast cancer prevention trial, the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene. |
