Columbus, OH (43215) - In recognition of National Hospital Week, May 6-12, the Ohio Hospital Association today announced 62 nominees for the 2018 Health Care Worker of the Year Award, three Health Care Leadership Award recipients and the inductee of OHA’s Health Care Hall of Fame to be recognized at the annual OHA Recognition Dinner, during the association’s annual meeting June 4-6 at the Hilton Columbus at Easton.

“Every day 250,000 health care workers at Ohio hospitals are making communities healthier, safer and more productive by leading patient care, education and community engagement,” said Mike Abrams, OHA president and CEO. “National Hospital Week is a time for us to celebrate hospitals’ impact in our communities and recognize the caregivers and leaders who make a profound impact in the lives of Ohioans.”

This year’s honorees include:

• Sr. Judith Ann Karam, CSA, FACHE (Cleveland), congregational leader, Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and immediate past president and CEO, Sisters of Charity Health System will be inducted into OHA’s Health Care Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame, created to commemorate the association’s centennial, honors men and women who have made extraordinary contributions to the delivery of health care for Ohioans.

 

• William Considine, FACHE (Akron), president, Akron Children’s Hospital, will receive OHA’s Donald R. Newkirk Award. The award is named for Don Newkirk who led OHA for 27 years and recognizes an individual who has made a significant lifetime contribution to the health care field in Ohio. 

 

• Phil Ennen (Bryan), president and CEO, Community Hospitals & Wellness Centers, will receive OHA’s James R. Castle Distinguished Service Award, which honors an individual whose professional attainments embody qualities of an outstanding leader or mentor for service to the health care community. This award is named for OHA’s president and CEO for 23 years, from 1989 through 2011. 

 

• Sepsis Alliance (San Diego, CA) will receive OHA’s Dr. Eli Crew Community Service Excellence Award. This award recognizes an individual’s or organization’s support of the health care industry. The award is named in honor of Dr. Eli R. Crew, former superintendent of Dayton’s Miami Valley Hospital and OHA’s first president. In 1914, he led Ohio hospital administrators to an organizational meeting at Cedar Point, Sandusky where OHA was founded.

Each year OHA invites member hospitals and health systems to nominate one outstanding professional for consideration for Health Care Worker of the Year. The award, created in 1996, honors hospital employees who demonstrate leadership, reflect the mission and values of their institutions, go above and beyond the call of duty and give back to the community. All nominees will be recognized at OHA’s awards dinner on June 5 where the finalists and ultimate recipient will be revealed. 

Dan and Nikki McCarthy of Sam's Fans, which supports music and art therapy programs that serve seriously ill patients and their families, will deliver the keynote address at the OHA Recognition Dinner.  

OHA will also recognize recipients of its Environmental Sustainability Awards – the Melvin Creeley Award and the John Chapman Award June 5 during a luncheon at OHA’s Annual Meeting. Cleveland Clinic will receive the John Chapman Award, OHA’s top environmental award, in recognition of its achievements in energy efficiency, pollution prevention and waste reduction. Among its environmental initiatives, Cleveland Clinic has established a $7.5 million Green Revolving Fund, the largest established fund of its kind in the health care industry. The Green Revolving Fund invests in energy efficiency projects to reduce energy consumption while reinvesting the money saved into future projects. 

Honorees of the Melvin Creeley award are:

•  Atrium Medical Center
• Barnesville Hospital
• Cleveland Clinic
• Fairfield Medical Center
• Henry County Hospital
• Mercy Health Youngstown
• Springfield Regional Medical Center
• Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center
• Miami Valley Hospital
• Mount Carmel Health System
• The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital
• St. Rita's Medical Center 
• Summa Health System
• TriHealth System
• University Hospitals Samaritan Medical Center
• Wright-Patterson Medical Center

The Melvin Creeley award recognizes hospitals and health systems that demonstrate their commitment to environmental stewardship through implementing waste reduction programs, recycling initiatives and other activities to preserve the health of the planet. The John Chapman award recognizes a hospital or health system that has demonstrated leadership in guiding their facility toward the goals of environmental sustainability, regulatory compliance, energy efficiency and pollution prevention, all of which are proven to result in healthier hospital workforces and communities. 

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share by E-Mail

Share on LinkedIn