2007 House Call Clinician of the Year Awards
This year, the Academy awarded three members our highest honor. The awards were presented in association with the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative, a research and educational program committed to the study and enhancement of the patient-physician relationship in the U.S. and around the world.
Andrew Lyons, MD, Selected as House Call Doctor of the Year
The 2007 Eric Baron House Call Doctor of the Year was awarded to Dr. Andrew Lyons. An internist, former hospitalist and ER attending, Dr. Lyons began making home care visits over seven years ago and has maintained a solo practice centered around home visits for homebound elderly patients since 2000. In service of the sickest, most frail elderly patients in New York City, Dr. Lyons has developed strong collaboration and support from leading organizations such as Visiting Nurse Service of New York, and also serves as Medical Director for The 80th Street Residence, a unique facility that cares for elderly patients with cognitive impairment. Dr. Lyons maintains admitting privileges at Lenox Hill Hospital where he completed his training in Primary Care Internal Medicine. In addition to mentoring several nurse practitioners and residents, he is an active member of the steering committee for the Metropolitan New York Consortium on House Call Medicine.
Deborah Bryant, RN, MSN, NP-C, Awarded House Call Clinician of the Year
After first developing and running a successful home health agency in Woodbury, Tennessee, Ms. Bryant managed the medical practice of her husband. Following his tragic death, she returned to school while raising three children and graduated summa cum laude as a nurse practitioner. In 2003, she established Countryside Medical Clinic, offering care in the home to patients in four counties in mid-Tennessee. Known for literally "going the extra mile" for her patients, Ms. Bryant often drives 100 miles per day and spends 12 hours providing care, plus remains available by phone. Her patients love the level of care that she provides, and colleagues who nominated her for the award say, "She exemplifies the best in home medical provision."
Scharmaine Lawson, APRN, FNP-C, Awarded House Call Clinician of the Year
When Hurricane Katrina hit in August of 2005, Ms. Lawson lost the house call practice she had begun in March of that same year. Gone were her building, her medical records and her patients. Ms. Lawson returned in October to restart her practice, which grew rapidly due to the lack of medical care in the wake of Katrina. She saw patients in severely damaged homes, at FEMA shelters, even on rooftops. She now goes to some of the most dangerous and poorest areas of New Orleans, often serving as a social worker to help patients navigate relief agency paperwork and get what they need. She has used her own money to help patients purchase trailer ramps, blankets and clothes. Ms. Lawson now serves over 400 homebound patients, is enrolled in a Doctor of Nursing program and has recently formed Geriatric Initiatives, a foundation whose purpose is to purchase and renovate affordable housing for the elderly and disabled.
