Dr. David W. Butsch of Berlin (right) is presented with the Vermont Medical Society’s 2005 Physician Award for Community Service by Gov. Jim Douglas and Peter Dale, M.D. (left), president of the Vermont Medical Society.
 

MONTPELIER –  For his leadership in creating a community indoor sports facility and helping Vermonters to lead active and healthy lifestyles, the Vermont Medical Society has honored Dr. David W. Butsch of Berlin with its 2005 Physician Award for Community Service.

Dr. Butsch has been a general surgeon in Berlin for 31 years and is on the medical staff at the Central Vermont Medical Center. He is also a clinical assistant professor of surgery at the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

But it is his volunteer work on the Central Vermont Memorial Civic Center in Montpelier that this award honors.

Dr. Butsch became involved with the civic center project when he and other parents of children in a youth hockey league began looking for a better facility for the teams to play in. They decided to build their own indoor rink and founded a non-profit organization in 1995.

He organized volunteers and led the effort to raise $1.5 million in funding for the 28,000-square-foot multi-purpose facility on Gallison Hill Road. The civic center opened in 1998 and is used not only for hockey, but also soccer and other activities.

Dr. Butsch has remained active in the civic center’s organization, serving on its board of directors and helping to raise money to fund affordable public skating. He also serves on the board of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports, which promotes physical fitness through the development of services and programs.

Dr. Butsch was presented with the 2005 Physician Award for Community Service at the Vermont Medical Society’s 192^nd Annual Meeting, held Oct. 15 at the Killington Grand Hotel in Killington.

The Physician Award for Community Service is presented to a Vermont physician who has compiled an outstanding record of community service apart from his or her specific duties as a physician.

The Vermont Medical Society represents more than 1,500 physicians licensed in Vermont. The mission of the Vermont Medical Society is to serve the public by facilitating and enhancing physicians’ individual and collective commitments, capabilities and efforts to improve the quality of life for the people of Vermont through the provision of accessible and appropriate health care services.