Dr. Eugene Bont receives 2015 George F. Leland Award

Dr. Eugene Bont of Cavendish received the 2015 George F. Leland Community Health Award from Springfield Medical Care Systems.
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Dr. Eugene Bont receives 2015 George F. Leland Award Jun 09, 2015 Photo by: Courtesy Dr. Eugene Bont (2nd from right), receives 2015 George F. Leland Award at Apple Blossom Cotillion from Larry Kraft, SMCS Director of Development and Cotillion emcee, along with Jack Cassidy, PA, and John Bond, PA. CAVENDISH, VT. — Dr. Eugene Bont of Cavendish received the 2015 George F. Leland Community Health Award from Springfield Medical Care Systems. The award ceremony took place at this year’s Apple Blossom Cotillion. The George F. Leland Award is named in honor of the community leader who served as the first president of Springfield Hospital. It recognizes an individual who exemplifies the highest ideals of community health care. Previous recipients include Eileen Austin Neal, RN, Dr. Sherb Lovell, Edgar May, and Glenn Cordner. Dr. Bont was recognized for his leadership of the Black River Health Center, which served Ludlow, Proctorsville, and Cavendish, and his groundbreaking work to create a way for Physician Assistants to become an important part of Springfield Hospital and health care in general. All Physician Assistants practice today based on the methodology developed under Dr. Bont’s leadership. The award was presented to Dr. Bont by Jack Cassidy and John Bond, two of the first PAs he recruited to come to Springfield. After 32 years at Black River Health Center, Dr. Bont became a Professor in the Family Practice Program at the State University of New York at Albany, returning to Cavendish upon his retirement. Dr. Bont’s friends and co-workers remember him as a tireless, soft spoken and gentle man. These traits also helped him in other community service as he served on the local school board during his early years in Cavendish. Today he continues to serve on both the Cavendish Elementary and the Green Mountain Union High School boards.