Roosevelt Medical Center Celebrates Doctor's Day

In recognition of National Doctor's Day, staff at Roosevelt Medical Center in Culbertson, gathered for a pot-luck luncheon on April 7, in which Dr. Helland was honored for his contributions to RMC.

There, Dr. Helland was presented with a personalized travel-bag and a card signed by all staff members.

"Dr. Helland has a timeless commitment to excellence in healthcare. As a physician, he is a wealth of knowledge and also maintains certification in radiology, which allows him to read ultrasounds. This enables us to get vital information back to our patients without having to send away the results to be read," said Amber Bond, RMA, and Clinic Coordinator for RMC.

Originally from Culbertson, Dr. Helland grew up just south of the River on a farm in the 1950s. After college, he worked for a number of healthcare organizations in California including Madera Community Hospital in Madera, Sierra Kings District Hospital in Reedly, the California Department of Corrections in Delano and Visalia Community Hospital in Visalia. He returned to the area four years ago, and joined RMC as a primary care provider.

He didn't originally plan on a career in healthcare, but after time developed an interest in preventative medicine. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from Montana State University in 1978 before going on to receive his Medical Degree from Loma Linda School of Medicine in 1983. He has also been certified by the American Board of Radiology since 1988. "When I was in my first year of college, I helped the brick-layers put up the walls of this hospital building. Now, 41 years later, I look back and am glad I have been able to return and contribute to my hometown," he said.

Today, Dr. Helland splits his time between Culbertson and Visalia, California, where his wife, Stephanie lives. Together, they have three children.

"This is a career path that is challenging, interesting and ever changing. With each patient, there is an opportunity to learn and grow as not only a physician, but as a person," he said.

National Doctors' Day is held every year on March 30, marking the date that Crawford W. Long, M.D., of Jefferson, GA, administered the first anesthetic for surgery in 1842, according to http://www.asanq.org, the American Society of Anesthesiologists' website.

On that day, Dr. Long administered anesthesia to a patient and then operated to remove a tumor from the man's neck. Later, the patient would swear that he felt nothing during the surgery.

The first Doctors' Day was first observed March 30, 1933 in Winder, Ga. when Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, decided to set aside a day to honor physicians. This first observance included mailing greeting cards to doctors and placing flowers on graves of deceased doctors.

On March 30, 1958 the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution commemorating Doctors' Day. Then in 1990, legislation was introduced in the House and Senate to establish a National Doctors' Day, and President George Bush signed S.J. RES. #366 on October 30, 1990 designating March 30 as National Doctors' Day.