[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16122]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. FRANK FIERMONTE

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Dr. Frank 
Fiermonte, a physician from Orleans, VT, who cared for the people of 
Vermont's North Country with distinction for many years. As Vermont's 
Northland Journal prepares to publish the final installment of a series 
on Dr. Fiermonte, I want to join in recognizing his service to Vermont.
  Dr. Fiermonte was a true ``country doctor'' who was willing to travel 
long distances to see his patients at all hours and in all seasons. I 
have heard Frank tell many an anecdote about how, after a home visit to 
a rural area, family and friends of the patient had to help him get his 
car unstuck during mud season or dug out from a snow bank in the 
winter.
  Like many country doctors, he served a vast area, encompassing not 
just his hometown of Derby, but also a wide swath of Orleans and Essex 
Counties and even across the border into Quebec. Yet he intimately knew 
all of the families he served, which sometimes spanned several 
generations. The stories from North Country residents in the Northland 
Journal make it clear that Dr. Fiermonte made a tremendous impact on 
the community. This quote from a former Derby resident stands out in 
particular: ``Dr. Fiermonte was a godsend to the Derby area. He was 
always available day or night.''
  What always strikes me most about Frank is how personal the practice 
of medicine was for him. In today's modern world, health care can 
sometimes be a very impersonal experience. In fact, there is much 
discussion in Vermont and Washington about returning to a more patient-
centered system. We would do well to learn from people like Dr. Frank 
Fiermonte and his contemporaries, who are the embodiment of that ideal. 
Motivated by the desire to serve his community and deliver the best 
care possible, for Dr. Fiermonte, it was all about the patient.
  Dr. Frank Fiermonte has earned my deepest respect, and I thank him 
for his years of service to the North Country.

                          ____________________