日本医師会などが地域医療に長年貢献した医師をたたえる「赤ひげ大賞」に、社会福祉法人楽寿会（四倉町）の理事長で、市医師会の前会長・木村守和さん（６６）が選ばれた。木村さんは長年にわたり地域医療に携わり、東日本大震災・東京電力福島第一原発事故と度重なる水害に対する支援や、新型コロナウイルス感染症への対応にも尽力した。
現在は筋萎縮性側索硬化症（ＡＬＳ）であることを公表し、医師と患者の双方の立場から自らの体験を語っている。表彰式は３月５日、東京プリンスホテル（東京都港区）で開かれる。
木村さんは四倉町出身。磐城高、東北大医学部卒。宮城厚生協会坂総合病院、国立がんセンター中央病院外科レジデントなどを経て帰郷し、１９９７（平成９）年から四倉町の木村医院で院長に就いた。
診療所のほか、特別養護老人ホーム・訪問看護ステーションを運営し、早くから地域包括ケア分野で行政との関係性を重視。在宅医療や往診にも積極的に取り組み、医師に加え、看護師やケアマネージャーも含めた多職種連携を呼びかけてきた。タブー視されがちの終末期に関しても取り上げ、どう自分らしい最期を迎えるかをまとめる「わたしの想いをつなぐノート」（略称・わたしノート）の作成を呼びかけた。
医師不足の解消にも努め、２０１８年４月には市医師会に「医師不足対策に関する委員会」を発足。医師同士が課題を共有できる環境を創出し、若手にとって魅力ある環境を考えることで勤務医の増加につなげた。同年６月～２４（令和６）年６月に市医師会長を務め、コロナ禍では市と協力して、先頭に立って感染防止に向けた行動を要請し、ひっ迫する医療体制の維持に奔走した。
また２５年にわたって、学校医や産業医にも従事。小・中学生に対しても分かりやすく認知症、在宅医療、がんなどについて伝える「いのちの授業」を行った。一方で２３年夏、徐々に全身が動かなくなる難病のＡＬＳとの診断を受けたが、自らの病状を明かした上で、過去に録音した音声を使用して精力的に講演を続けている。
（写真：これまでの取り組みやＡＬＳについて語っている木村さん）
Morikazu Kimura (66), chairman of the Rakujukai Social Welfare Corporation (Yotsukura Town) and former president of the city’s medical association, was selected for the Akahige Award, presented by the Japan Medical Association and other organizations to recognize physicians who have made long-term contributions to community healthcare. Kimura has been involved in community healthcare for many years, providing support for the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, and repeated flooding, as well as working hard to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has now publicly announced that he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and is speaking about his experiences as both a doctor and a patient. The award ceremony will be held on March 5th at the Tokyo Prince Hotel (Minato Ward, Tokyo). Kimura is a native of Yotsukura Town. He graduated from Iwaki High School and Tohoku University School of Medicine. He served as a surgical resident at Miyagi Kosei Kyokai Saka General Hospital and the National Cancer Center Hospital before returning to his hometown and serving as director of Kimura Clinic in Yotsukura Town in 1997. In addition to his clinic, he also operates a special nursing home and a visiting nursing station, and has long placed importance on relationships with the government in the field of comprehensive community care. He actively engages in home medical care and house calls, and has called for multidisciplinary collaboration, including not only physicians but also nurses and care managers. He has also addressed the often-taboo topic of end-of-life care, calling for the creation of a “My Thoughts Notebook” (abbreviated as “Watashi Note”), which outlines how to spend one’s final moments in a way that suits oneself. He has also worked to alleviate the physician shortage, and in April 2018, he established a “Committee to Address the Physician Shortage” within the city’s medical association. He created an environment where physicians could share their concerns and sought to create an attractive environment for young physicians, which led to an increase in the number of doctors working in the hospital. He served as president of the city’s medical association from June 2018 to June 2024, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked with the city, taking the lead in calling for action to prevent infection and working to maintain the strained medical system. He has also worked as a school physician and industrial physician for 25 years. He has given “lessons on life” to elementary and junior high school students, explaining topics such as dementia, home medical care, and cancer in an easy-to-understand way. Meanwhile, in the summer of 2011, he was diagnosed with ALS, an incurable disease that gradually causes the entire body to become immobile, but after disclosing his condition, he continues to give energetic lectures using audio recordings from the past. (Photo: Kimura talking about his past efforts and ALS)
