The Vessel of Life Award
Dr. J. Roy Rowland received the President’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, The Vessel of Life Award, on April 28, 2017. Dr. Rowland was a member of the 1952 graduating class of the Medical College of Georgia.
He has also recently published his memoirs, House Call: A Doctor’s Time in Medicine and Government. When Congress passed a bill in 1997 to name the pre-World War II federal courthouse in Dublin, Georgia in honor of J. Roy Rowland, the measure said the former Congressman and longtime family physician set the standard for standing firm on conviction and choosing honorable compromise for the good of the country. A moderate conservative, Dr. Rowland spent his career in public service fighting to resolve political and ideological differences at a time when virulent partisanship was beginning to paralyze the governmental process.
Dr. Rowland’s story spans more than 90 years from his days growing up in a small Georgia town during the Great Depression, to his experiences at war, to his career as a primary care doctor and then a maverick political figure during a period of turbulent change. And his story is still ongoing. He continues to practice medicine and speak out for bipartisan solutions to critical issues, including health care reform, urging Americans to learn from the past so history won’t repeat itself in current attempts to address the system’s pervasive problems. The CSB of Middle Georgia is proud to call Dr. Rowland one of our own!
J. Roy Rowland, M.D., a voice for moderation and healthcare reform, is featured
in the Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia. We would like to thank him for his years of service and dedication to our community.
Read here to learn more about Dr. Rowland, Gore, Thomas B., M.D. “J. Roy Rowland, M.D.: A Voice for Moderation in Health Care Reform.” Editorial. The Journal of The Medical Association of Georgia Issue 4 2012: 28-30.
This is a picture of the Powell Building at Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Georgia. Central State Hospital (CSH), located in Milledgeville, opened in 1842 as Georgia’s first public psychiatric hospital. It was, at one time, the largest psychiatric hospital in the world. The Powell Building was the Admissions Unit for many of the middle and central Georgia counties, and served the 10-county catchment area of the CSB of Middle Georgia until just a few short years ago.