We’ve all heard the phrase “Actions speak louder than words.” This saying is especially appropriate for Dr. Steve Glaser, a Batesville family practice physician who was named as this year’s Indiana Rural Health Association Public Service Award winner at the association’s annual awards dinner June 10.

He was nominated by Margaret Mary Community Hospital and selected by IRHA for his excellent clinical competence, professional dedication and outstanding community service, said MMCH communications specialist Becky Walter.

Glaser has served as a physician for the past 29 years. “However, his impact reaches beyond his own medical practice to the classroom, athletic field, free clinic, disaster site and even the mission field,” noted Kim Inscho, MMCH vice president of community relations.

The doctor “is a tireless advocate for recruiting and training young people interested in the medical profession. For more than 26 years, he has served as a preceptor for medical students at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine – sharing his time, expertise and passion with future physicians,” according to her.

He has also served as mentor for local high school students, allowing them the opportunity to shadow him and gain valuable insight into a rural physician’s practice. Batesville High School graduate Allen Meyers, who has shadowed the physician for the past three years, credits Glaser with inspiring him to pursue a medical degree.

“Even in his extremely busy schedule and overextended work hours, (Glaser) still finds time to teach, talk and ultimately build meaningful relationships,” said Meyers. “He truly exemplifies what it means to be a physician.”

The friendly man has supported schools and students in other ways, too. For more than 14 years, he volunteered thousands of hours as the team doctor for BHS athletics, contributing to the prevention and treatment of sports injuries. According to BHS athletic director Mark Ferguson, Glaser attended 150 to 200 home and away sporting events every year, including football, basketball, soccer, track and volleyball. It was common to see him on Friday nights at the sidelines of the football game or behind the bench on the basketball court.

“When kids go down with a rolled ankle, a break or a concussion, how do you put a price tag on having a doctor right there to assess the injury and determine whether further medical attention is needed?” asked Ferguson. “Dr. Glaser has an uncanny sense of identifying an injury – even before the student goes to the hospital for tests.”

Ferguson added that he also provided countless free sports physicals to local high school athletes who couldn’t afford them.

Glaser has volunteered to provide free medical care to uninsured and underinsured individuals through the Family Connections clinic in Ripley County and Free Clinic of Decatur County. “Hundreds of families have benefited from his commitment to care for those in our rural area with limited financial resources and health care access,” Inscho pointed out.

According to Connie DeBurger, Family Connections director, Glaser was instrumental in getting the clinic started in 1983 and served as medical director for 13 years. He made monthly visits to the Versailles clinic, seeing low-income pediatric patients and providing health care services to indigent women. “He was passionate about seeing that those children received the health care they needed, regardless of their ability to pay,” she reported. “He was a huge advocate for low-income families and their children.”

In addition to being an excellent practitioner and community leader, Glaser is a man of great integrity and faith. He has long supported the activities and ministries of St. Louis Catholic Church and never seems to be “off the clock.” Even as a church bingo volunteer, the physician has responded to medical emergencies and provided treatment until paramedics arrived.

His medical outreach even extends beyond his local church to its twin parish in Jamaica. For seven years, Glaser has lead a church medical mission trip to provide care to needy children and families living in impoverished conditions. Following hurricanes Rita and Katrina, he offered on-site medical care to victims in St. Charles, La.

Although Glaser is extremely modest about his accomplishments and reputation, his patients are not. Typical words used to describe him on recent patient satisfaction surveys include “awesome,” “wonderful,” “compassionate” and “the most considerate doctor I’ve ever met.” In fact, last year Glaser ranked in the 99th percentile for inpatient satisfaction, according to Press Ganey & Associates benchmarking. When it comes to friendliness, skill and concern, his patients rate Glaser as one of the best physicians in the country.

“All of these examples underscore the positive difference Steve Glaser has made on the lives of others,” Inscho said.