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For the fourth time in five years, the American Hospital Association has chosen Rush University Medical Center as an honoree for its annual award for equity of care, which recognizes outstanding efforts among hospitals and health care systems to advance equity of care to all patients. The Medical Center is one of only five hospitals from across the nation to receive recognition for health equity this year from the AHA.
The award winners and honorees were recognized at the AHA’s annual Leadership Summit in San Diego, California, on Thursday, July 25.
Recently renamed the Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, the award is given to spur progress toward achieving health equity by calling attention to hospitals’ successes in this area. The change in name was made in honor of the first black person and the first hospital trustee to chair the AHA Board. A trustee of a safety net hospital, Boone was a tireless advocate for health equity.
“As an academic health system serving a wide and diverse range of individuals and communities in Chicago, Rush is committed to providing equitable care for all,” says Rush University Medical Center CEO Omar Lateef. “Being named an honoree for the American Hospital Association’s Equity of Care Award for the fourth time shows the strength of our commitment, and we are proud to be recognized as a national leader in the movement toward greater health equity.”
The AHA is a not-for-profit association of nearly 5,000 health care provider organizations nationwide. The AHA noted Rush University Medical Center in its press release for the following efforts to advance equity of care:
The AHA previously named Rush an honoree for the 2015, 2017 and 2018 Equity of Care awards, in recognition of the following initiatives:
In addition to Rush, the AHA chose three other health care providers this year as honorees: Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina; Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, New York; and Sutter Health in Sacramento, California. Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland was chosen as the recipient of the 2019 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award.
“Hospitals and health systems that participate in the Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award process demonstrate a commitment to improving health for all people. Their work is not only a moral imperative, but it’s also the way in which hospitals will be positioned to succeed under population health and value-based care,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “We thank Anne Arundel Medical Center and the Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care honorees for their innovative work to improve outcomes and advance health equity in the communities they serve.”