Columbus, Ohio - 43215 (Nov. 30, 2021) – The Ohio Hospital Association inducted all 251,200 Ohio hospital caregivers into its Health Care Hall of Fame and recognized hospital leaders during a virtual awards program on Nov. 30. 

“Ohio hospitals are cornerstones of the communities they serve,” said Mike Abrams, president and CEO, OHA. “More than a quarter million Ohio hospital caregivers have been battling the COVID-19 virus while compassionately taking care of the everyday needs of our fellow citizens.” 

OHA established the OHA Health Care Hall of Fame in celebration of the association's centennial year in 2015. The prestigious award honors men and women who have made extraordinary and lasting contributions to the health care industry. All quarter million Ohio hospital caregivers were needed to respond to the physical and emotional needs of Ohioans this past year and to support each other on the front lines. “Our hospital caregivers have displayed ingenuity and devotion as they took on many new roles during the pandemic,” said Abrams. “Since March 2020, our heroes have cared for more than 81,000 COVID patients in Ohio hospitals, including nearly 11,000 who required around-the-clock intensive care.”

COVID-19 permeated every part of Ohio’s hospital community. The pandemic launched unparalleled levels of collaboration and strength. Interdisciplinary teamwork has been paramount to battling this virus. At the beginning of the pandemic, Ohio was divided into three zones to effectively coordinate the management of patient care, supplies and equipment. To honor the three-hospital zone leads of this effort OHA established the Presidential Award of Merit to recognize their outstanding and service to Ohio. The honorees are Robert Wyllie, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Andy Thomas, MD, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Richard Lofgren, MD, UC Health. 

The recipients of OHA’s annual leadership awards include:
 

Dave Blom (OhioHealth)	Michael Winthrop (The Bellevue Hospital)	Sr. Doris Gottemoeller, RSM (Bon Secours Mercy Ministries)

Dave Blom, retired president and CEO, OhioHealth received OHA’s Donald R. Newkirk Award. The award is named for Don Newkirk who led OHA as CEO for 27 years, from 1962-1989, and recognizes an individual who has made a significant lifetime contribution to the health care profession in Ohio. 

Michael Winthrop, retired president and CEO, The Bellevue Hospital, received 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. 

Sr. Doris Gottemoeller, RSM, Chair, Bon Secours Mercy Ministries, received 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.

Gov. Mike DeWine and Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health joined the celebration expressing their gratitude and appreciation for hospital caregivers and the state’s zone leads for COVID-19 pandemic response. 

COVID-19 survivor Don Cox of Lancaster, Ohio shared his devastating experience with virus and the medical care he received at Fairfield Medical Center (Lancaster). 

The program’s emcee was Tracy Townsend, co-anchor, WBNS 10TV Wake Up CBUS and Face the State. Townsend is 10TV’s medical correspondent covering health issues in the community. 

To view this year’s awards program, visit OHA’s YouTube channel. 

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