Dr. Howard Rose

They say there are no guarantees in life, but in the case of ophthalmologist Dr. Howard Rose, the patients and staff at Volunteers in Medicine would beg to differ. Each Tuesday morning for more than 12 years, Dr. Rose made the sojourn from his beaches home to Volunteers in Medicine’s downtown clinic.

There, he tended to the vision and eye care needs of the community's hard-working, low-income and uninsured individuals and families. As such, it came as no surprise when Dr. Rose was selected to receive HandsOn Jacksonville’s Celebrate! Good “Young at Heart” award on April 18th, at Hemming Park. Celebrating the award with him at the award dinner were his wife Muriel, and Volunteers in Medicine leadership and staff.

“Dr. Rose has been such a wonderful asset to our organization,” said Catie Wallace, nominator and Director of Volunteer Services at Volunteers in Medicine. “We are thrilled that HandsOn Jacksonville’s Celebrate!Good judging panel saw the tremendous heart in Dr. Rose that we have seen each week, year after year.”

Beloved by Volunteers in Medicine patients and staff alike, Dr. Rose saw to it that patients with vision and eye care issues were diagnosed and treated with compassion and respect. The generous ophthalmologist logged more than 2,300 volunteer hours, treating hundreds of people who could not otherwise afford treatment. The service he volunteered throughout the years totals more than $575,000. His care was especially important to diabetic patients who needed monitoring to prevent blindness.

The HandsOn Jacksonville award coincided with the announcement that the 85-year-old Rose was retiring, so the celebration was bittersweet for all. Volunteers in Medicine relies on the commitment and services of medical specialist volunteers to treat its patients, and for 12 years, he made good on his commitment.

“We couldn’t possibly begin to thank Dr. Rose enough for his years of selfless dedication to Jacksonville’s hard-working, low income residents,” said Mary Pat Corrigan, CEO of Volunteers in Medicine. Catie Wallace emphatically agreed and said “We will all miss him very much. Dr. Rose is leaving some very big shoes to fill.”