- January 24, 2025
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When it comes to selecting its Humanitarians of the Year, AdventHealth Palm Coast Foundation looks at three pillars: community involvement, engagement with the nonprofit and contributions that make Palm Coast better for its residents.
Dr. Steven Bower and Dr. Terrence Regan, the award's 2024 recipients, fit the bill, said John Subers, director of the AdventHealth Palm Coast Foundation.
"They've always been very involved in our foundation, supporting our events and supporting our patients, and always willing to go the extra mile and talk to our constituents when they have an issue," Subers said. "They're just very, very supportive of what we do for the hospital and ultimately, for the community."
The foundation is honored that Bower and Regan would accept the award, as Subers said they are both humble men who don't seek the limelight.
Bower, a general surgeon, joined AdventHealth in 2003. Growing up, his mother was an operating room scrub nurse and she'd often share stories about a general surgeon she worked with — how he was the doctor everyone in the hospital called when they needed help.
Those stories helped shape Bower's decision to pursue medicine, even though it wasn't an easy path. He had professors along the way that told him he wasn't good enough, and initially didn't match with a general surgery residency program after medical school. But he didn't give up.
"I wanted to be the guy that came in and helped people," he said.
Regan, a urologist, has been involved with the foundation since its inception, having moved to area from Washington D.C. in 1997. He was first introduced to urology during his medical school residency at Georgetown University Hospital, and over time, he was drawn to the fact it had a mix of both surgery and medicine.
During his residency, he recalls an instance where a patient had a challenging condition. Regan reached out to one of the hospital's urologists on call for help, and the doctor's response created what Regan referred to as a "very defining moment for me in medicine."
"He would say, 'You know what we're going to do, kid? We're going to do the right thing. We're going to take care of this patient,'" Regan recalled. "... No matter how busy you are, no matter whatever else you have going on, that each patient that comes in has a unique problem that needs to be dealt with, and that's what you're there for."
When Bower learned he had been named as this year's Humanitarian of the Year alongside Regan, he joked that he thought they made a mistake. He'd always approached his work as a physician with a "soup, soap and salvation" mentality, he said, one he gained while working for the Salvation Army during his college years.
"When you see somebody in need, you help them meet their physical needs and then try to meet their spiritual needs at the same time," Bower said. "... Someone who is a humanitarian, in my opinion, is somebody who deeply cares for mankind."
When patients come to see him, Bower wants to address their medical problems, but he also wants to share the hope of Jesus and Christian faith, he said.
Before any procedure, Bower takes a moment to pray with his patients. It helps set a tone, for both himself and his patients, he said.
"The conversation in the room is different," Bower said. "My approach is different. How I feel is different, so it dramatically has changed me and my life by praying with patients."
While Regan said it's a great honor to receive the award with Bower, he also said it makes him a little embarrassed — he doesn't feel like he's done anything special.
"We feel both like we're just trying to do our job and do what's best for the patient, the community and the like," Regan said. "I think we're both very happy to be recognized for it, but we also feel like it's part of our job."
It feels like a recognition of their patient-centered approach, Regan said.
"That means an absolute lot that people recognize that that kind of approach is valued," Regan said. "And I think that's what means the most."
Regan has also extended his work as a physician outside of the hospital. He volunteered in Haiti after the 2010 earthquakes, and a few years ago, graduated with a master's in health policy. He had spent a lot of time working to shape policy to ensure care in a patient-center fashion, and he's used his degree to apply what he learned in the hospital setting, as well as within his group, Advanced Urology Institute.
On the night of the award recognition in December, Subers said the foundation asked the room how many people were past or current patients of Bower and Regan. The majority of the estimated 150 attendees raised their hands.
"They've been here for a long, long time," Subers said. "This is their home. This is their community."
Bower, whose sons are both wrestling coaches at Matanzas High School, said the event was a bit overwhelming, but seeing an audience where 20-30 people stand up and say he has positively impacted their lives is "one of the more touching things that can happen in your life."
"It's very easy to go along and to say, 'I'm not making a difference,' but that award made me think about the fact that I do make a difference, and I am making a positive difference in people's lives," Bower said. "It's very easy to hear negative voices inside your head. For me, I hear a lot of negative voices in my head saying that you're not good enough, and you make mistakes and and I think that the award really let me see that I do make a difference."
Regan said his hope is that the work he and Bower do is followed by those that will come after them.
"My hope is that being named the Humanitarian of the Year is somewhat inspirational to some of the people behind us, and hopefully they will continue to do the good work, and even better than Dr. Bower and I — and even add more to the community," Regan said.
Bower and Regan embody the foundation's humanitarian award based on their day-to-day service level and their patient care, Subers said.
"They don't work any harder because they're humanitarians of the year," he said. "They work hard because they're fabulous doctors and they care about their patients more than anybody else."
