Country doctors still make house calls. They sometimes accept payment in the form of watermelons or jars of molasses. And they save lives every day.

The Country Doctor of the Year Award, now in its seventh year, recognizes the work of America’s top rural physicians. While 20 percent of all Americans live in rural areas, only 10 percent of all doctors practice in rural communities — typically working longer hours for less pay than their urban counterparts.

Staff Care Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based temporary physician staffing firm, sponsors the annual award, presented to a physician who best exemplifies the spirit, skill and dedication of America’s rural medical practitioners. Last year Staff Care received 501 nominations from people in 43 states. The firm now seeks nominations for 2001.

“Anyone can nominate a worthy physician,” says Joe Caldwell, executive vice president of Staff Care and a member of the award committee. Nomination forms may be requested by calling 1-800-685-2272. Forms must be completed and returned by Oct. 5. The award will be presented in December.

Criteria for the award include:

• Scope of care. Nominees must provide primary care to patients of all ages.

• Continuity of care. Nominated physicians must have served their communities for a minimum of five years.

• Rural location. Nominated physicians must practice in communities of 25,000 people or fewer.

• Dedication. Nominees must have demonstrated extraordinary dedication to their patients and community, both during the year and over the course of their careers.

“Stories of 4 a.m. house calls, of lives being saved in cornfields, of doctors rushing out at night throwing smocks over their pajamas, may seem quaint,” Caldwell says. “But they speak of the country doctor’s dedication to patients. Those are the doctors we’re looking for.”

Previous award winners have been:

• Howard Clark of Morton, Miss., who single-handedly kept the local hospital open. At age 73, he still maintains a grueling scheduled at his clinic, the emergency room and the nursing home. Last year he purchased mobile MRI and CT Scan equipment to further extend healthcare throughout the region.

• Paul F. Maddox, who kept his clinic in Campton, Ky., open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for three decades. For much of that time, Maddox was the only doctor serving an entire county, treating many patients free of charge. In 1999, he continued to practice after being diagnosed with cancer, scheduling patients around daily chemotherapy.

• Elton D. Lehman, for 35 years a country doctor in Mount Eaton, Ohio. Lehman brought modern medicine to the large Amish community of Stark County while also serving as the town’s mayor. The freestanding birthing center he helped create in 1998 offers an alternative to home births for Amish women.

• William Hill served as a solo physician in Carrollton, Ala., for over 50 years, carrying on a family tradition. Physicians from the Hill family have treated patients in Carrollton since before the Civil War.