In honor of National Doctors Day, the medical staff at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital donated $5,000 to Flint River Habitat for Humanity.

Dr. Chinyelu Ofodile, DO, a hospitalist at Phoebe, presented the check to Scooter Courtney, Flint River Habitat for Humanity executive director, and Habitat for Humanity board members. “We are very excited about our partnership with Phoebe and this is a win-win for everyone. It will not only help us but the community too. We appreciate the medical staff’s generosity, especially on a day that recognizes them and their service,” said Courtney. 

Last November, Phoebe announced that it was donating multiple properties near its main campus to Flint River Habitat for Humanity, allowing the nonprofit to build new homes and attract families to the neighborhood. 

National Doctors Day can be traced back to March 30, 1933, when it was first observed in Winder, Georgia. It was originally started by Eudora Brown Almond, the wife of a prominent doctor, who wanted to create a day just for recognizing and honoring doctors. Mrs. Almond chose March because it was on that date in 1842, that Dr. Crawford W. Long used an ether anesthetic for the first-time during surgery. Doctors Day was officially recognized by Congress through a proclamation in 1991.