STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Dr. Terry O’Connor has been recognized by the Idaho Hospital Association for work that went above-and-beyond during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

O’Connor, St. Luke’s Wood River Emergency Physician and Blaine County and Sawtooth Regional EMS Director, was awarded the 2022 Excellence in Patient Care Award at the IHA’s recent convention.

O’Connor served as a liaison between the medical community and government leaders as the Wood River Valley became one of the first communities in Idaho to be hit hard by the virus and for a time had the highest rate per capita of COVID-19 in the nation.

He was a principal investigator on a COVID-19 study on new variants and immune responses to the virus. And he helped create innovative systems to protect EMTs as they transported COVID-19 patients to St. Luke’s Wood River and to St. Luke’s Magic Valley in Twin Falls.  

“Because of his compassion and understanding he was able to keep everyone calm on an individual level,” said St. Luke’s Emergency Management Specialist Randy Hall.

“There were so many roadblocks in trying to get different research studies done, and he would keep plugging away at it while he was also doing a full shift in the emergency department,” added St. Luke’s spokesperson Joy Prudek.

Dr. Jim Souza, who heads up St. Luke’s Health System received the 2022 Excellence in Medicine Award.  Skip Oppenheimer of Boise received the 2022 Trustee of the Year for his work with St. Luke’s Health Systems.