RICHMOND, VA – Several local health safety net organizations and employees recently received awards and accolades at the Virginia Health Care Foundation’s (VHCF) annual Heroes in Health Care celebration on May 26 at Richmond’s Dominion Arts Center.
Leo H. Ross, RPh, was honored with the Unsung Hero Volunteer Award for his service to CrossOver Healthcare Ministry. Mr. Ross helped start CrossOver’s pharmacy ten years ago and has served as its Pharmacist-In-Charge ever since. He has given more than 2,056 hours of service, the most for any active volunteer.
Katherine G. Carmon from The Medical Society of Virginia Foundation received the You “Rx”ceptional Award for her dedication as a local Medication Assistance Caseworker who has gone beyond the call of duty to help patients obtain free medicines from brandname pharmaceutical companies’ Patient Assistance Programs. Last year, she helped 600 patients with chronic illnesses fill 2,628 needed prescriptions worth $4.1 million – free of charge.
The Daily Planet and Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services (HAMHDS) were recognized with the Unsung Hero Teamwork Award for their successful partnership to co-locate and integrate primary care and behavioral health services. Employees Peter Prizzio, Maureen Neal, Shannon Garrett, and Noreen Harris from The Daily Planet were honored for their collaboration with employees Lara Totty, Daniel Rigsby, and Michael O’Connor from HAMHDS.
“There are thousands of Virginians volunteering or working in the health care safety net who divert their uninsured patients from the downward spiral of untreated diseases, and set them back on the path to productive lives,” VHCF Executive Director Deborah Oswalt said. “The purpose of our Heroes in Health Care awards is to thank and recognize some of the best of them.”
All Unsung Hero Award winners received $2,000 from the Virginia Association of Health Plans. VHCF also presented Unsung Hero Awards to the following individuals and organizations:
Roslyn Jean Nelson, Northern Neck Free Clinic: Unsung Hero Employee Award
Inova Partnership for Healthier Kids (Fairfax County): Unsung Hero Child Health Champion Award
Joseph F. Smiddy, MD (Wise County) The Health Wagon: Unsung Hero Physician Award
Diane H. Naughton (Arlington County) Arlington Free Clinic: Unsung Hero Donor Award
Additional award winners follow:
LabCorp received the NETworthy Award for its longstanding commitment to provide Virginia’s health safety net clinics and health centers with timely and high quality lab tests and services. In the last three years alone, the company has provided $2.5 million in services to Virginia’s free clinics and $2.1 million in indigent care credits to community health centers.
Delta Dental of Virginia received the Reed/Roberts Award for its significant leadership to help grow a dental safety net to treat uninsured and medically underserved Virginians.
Novo Nordisk received a You “Rx”ceptional Award for filling 59,648 prescriptions with a value of $52.8 million over the past five years for uninsured Virginians suffering from diabetes via VHCF’s medication access software, The Pharmacy Connection.
The Virginia Health Care Foundation is a non-profit public/private partnership whose mission is to increase access to primary health care for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians. The Foundation was initiated by the General Assembly and its Joint Commission on Health Care in 1992. Since its inception, it has funded 375 community-based projects across the Commonwealth, and its programs and partnerships have touched the lives of more than 600,000 uninsured Virginians.
For more information about VHCF and its programs, visit www.vhcf.org or call
(804) 828-5804.
Last Updated on June 11, 2018
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