Winners announced at a luncheon at the 2024 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release │ Oct. 16, 2024
Media Contact: Holly Ward │602-445-4327 │[email protected]

Phoenix, Ariz. (Oct. 16, 2024) – The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) announced that the winners of the 2024 AzHHA Quality Awards were recognized earlier today at a luncheon as part of the 2024 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference in Tucson.  

For the Second Annual AzHHA Quality Awards, applications were solicited for three different categories: Patient Safety and Quality, Community Engagement and Maternal Health Innovation. Within each of these categories, there were three classifications for each award: top critical access/rural hospital (less than or equal to 100 beds), top general acute care (greater or equal to 101 beds) and top federal hospital.

“These awards are created to recognize Arizona’s leaders who are committed to advancing healthcare through exceptional quality performance, community engagement and a culture of continuous improvement,” said Ann-Marie Alameddin, president and CEO of AzHHA. “It was clear from reading the submissions that all of our applicants are tackling important projects to make a difference for their patients and communities.”

The Top Overall Excellence Award recognizes the highest achievement among the top scorers from each category. The top scorers were blinded and scored by volunteer leaders from other state hospital associations. This year’s Top Overall Excellence Award was presented to the Phoenix VA Health Care System for their submission titled “Journey to ZERO (Harm) — a Fall Reduction Project.” The submission detailed a fall reduction initiative aimed at cutting the fall rate in acute care services by 50%. The project emphasized continuous feedback, psychological safety and performance improvement, resulting in significant progress in fall prevention metrics.

The 2024 AzHHA Quality Award winners:

• Community Engagement Award, which highlights healthcare facilities’ exceptional commitment to community involvement with the intent to enhance health and improve access to healthcare services.
  • There was a tie for the top score in the general acute care category:
    • Valleywise Health for their submission titled “Bicycle Helmet Screening and Distribution in the Emergency Department – An Injury Prevention Program to engage the community during Emergency Department visits.”
    • Onvida Health (formerly Yuma Regional Medical Center) for their submission titled “Enhancing Diabetes Self-management for Underinsured Low-income Individuals with Diabetes.”
  • Patient Safety and Quality Award, which celebrates healthcare facilities in Arizona for their outstanding achievements in enhancing clinical quality and patient care.
    • Top critical access hospital/rural hospital: Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals Southeast Arizona for their submission titled “Zero Harm: Our High-Reliability Journey.”
    • Top general acute care: Valleywise Health for their submission titled “Target 1% - Blood Culture Contamination Rate Process Improvement.”  
    • Top federal hospital: Phoenix VA Health Care System for their submission titled “Journey to ZERO (Harm) — a Fall Reduction Project.”
  • Maternal Health Innovation Award, which honors healthcare facilities for their outstanding efforts in enhancing maternal health outcomes.
    • Top critical access hospital/rural hospital: Canyon Vista Medical Center for their submission titled “OB Hemorrhage Improvement.”
    • Top general acute care: Summit Healthcare for their submission titled “Alliance Supporting Parents in Recovery (ASPIRe).”
    • Top federal hospital: Southern Arizona VA Health Care System for their submission titled “Commitment to High Reliability: An Organizational Approach to Improving Care for our Women Veterans.”

“All of our award winners showcase the tremendous work that is happening in communities across our state to improve healthcare for all Arizonans,” added Alameddin.

# # #

About the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association

AzHHA is the association giving Arizona hospitals a voice to collectively build better healthcare and health for Arizonans. As the champion for healthcare leadership in Arizona, AzHHA and its member hospitals explore ideas and take collaborative action at the state capitol, in hospitals and at home to attain the best healthcare outcomes for our community. Above all else, we put people and patients first through Better Care, Better Health and Lower Costs.

Visit https://www.azhha.org for more information.