Banner Health wins Health Care Leadership Awards
PHOENIX, Ariz. (March 4, 2010) – Banner Health President and CEO Peter S. Fine was honored as top executive at the 3rd Annual Health Care Leadership Awards, sponsored by Arizona Business Magazine.
Local health care providers and hospital executives are recognized annually by the magazine for their accomplishments and for “making a difference to Arizona’s health care community.”
Also recognized at the March 3 ceremony was Joseph Rogers, Ph.D., a researcher and founder of the Banner Sun Health Research Institute, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement in Research award. The Banner Simulation Medical Center was a finalist in the Medical Center/Hospital category.
Upon accepting the award, Fine said, “33 years ago I got into the health care business because I perceived it as a noble profession and one that would be interesting, fun and exciting…all of those perceptions came true and are still true today. The real award winners, however, are the thousands of people working in health care, because of the passion and stunning amount of energy, enthusiasm and excitement they bring to their jobs every day.”
Fine said he was honored to accept the award on behalf of the 35,000-plus Banner Health employees who fulfill the mission of making a difference in people’s lives through excellent patient care.
As the founder and driving force behind Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Rogers has devoted three decades to finding the cause of and cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. However, in accepting the award for Lifetime Achievement in Research, Rogers made it clear he has more work to do. “Receiving a lifetime achievement award sounds a bit posthumous, but I am not done,” he said.
Rogers credited the community for its support of the institute and for making its growth and success possible. “In the beginning, we had no staff, no buildings, no labs and no equipment,” Rogers said.
“Everything we have today was made possible due to the generosity of our community through their charitable contributions on our behalf to the Sun Health Foundation, and those same community members have lined up in droves to participate in our research.”
Rogers was pleased to accept the award on behalf of the Valley community and said, “When we cure Alzheimer’s, it will be in your name and you will be first in line because you made it possible.”
The Banner Simulation Medical Center was one of three finalists in the Hospital or Medical Center category. Under the leadership of Mark Smith, MD, and Carol Noe Cheney, the center is pioneering health care learning with the use of high-tech mannequins and simulated medical scenarios in a 55,000-sq.-ft hospital setting.
ABOUT BANNER HEALTH
Headquartered in Phoenix, Banner Health is one of the largest, nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns or leases 22 acute-care hospitals, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services including family clinics, home care and hospice services, and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in seven states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming. To learn more about Banner Health, go to http://www.bannerhealth.com.
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The Lavidge Company
Marcia Scott
mscott@lavidge.com
480-998-2600
Banner Health
Nancy Neff
nancy.neff@bannerhealth.com
602-747-3105
