About the award: IBJ has refreshed the Health Care Hero awards. Now called Excellence in Health Care awards, the program honors individuals or organizations in the central Indiana health care industry who are making a significant impact on the quality of health care in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. There are now 10 categories: community achievement in health care, innovations in health care, mental health advocacy, physician, non-physician, volunteer, pharmacist, health care executive, health care educator and career achievement.
Important note: IBJ will interview and photograph those people or program leaders chosen for awards. If an honoree is not available or declines to be photographed or interviewed within IB’s deadlines, the judges will choose another winner.
Who is eligible?
The Health Care Hero Awards recognize individuals and organizations in central Indiana who are making a significant impact on the quality of health care in the region. Physicians, nurses and other professionals who provide direct care are eligible, as are researchers, educators, health care administrators. Some of the categories are meant to honor individuals; winners in others are more likely to be companies, organizations or programs. We will consider nominations of people who work across a broad spectrum of health care organizations, including hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, addictions programs, community centers, universities and more.
What are the criteria?
Below is a list of the 10 categories and criteria for each. Please select the most appropriate category, though IBJ could shift the nomination to another category if the judges deem it more appropriate.
- Community Achievement in Health Care: Honors a company or organization that has successfully implemented a program addressing an acknowledged problem in health care administration or delivery. Judges will consider the program’s uniqueness, its cost-effectiveness and its impact on the community. Please include data about outcomes where possible.
- Innovations in Health Care: Honors an organization or individual primarily responsible for a scientific discovery or for the development or advancement of a new procedure, treatment or device—nationally or locally—that can save lives or improve the quality of life for a large number of people. Judges will consider the current and potential impact of the innovation.
- Mental Health Advocacy: Honors an organization, program or a person who is making an impact in mental health or addiction services, whether through direct care, research or advocacy.
- Physician: Honors a physician whose performance on the job is considered exemplary by patients and peers. Judges will consider evidence of positive clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, longevity in the field and testimonials from peers and administrators. The award will focus on recent achievements.
- Non-Physician: Honors an individual from the nursing or allied health fields whose performance in the delivery of care is considered exemplary by patients and peers. Judges will consider longevity in the field and submitted evidence of the nominee’s effectiveness, including testimonials from superiors, peers and patients. This category does not include administrative positions, such as hospital administrators or CEOs.
- Volunteer: Honors an individual who is not employed in the health care field but has had a major impact in the delivery of health care through volunteer work. The individual must be currently volunteering or must have been volunteering within the past year. Explain the nature and dates of involvement.
- Pharmacist: Honors a pharmacist whose performance on the job is considered exemplary by patients and peers. This category is open to pharmacists working in a health care facility, university research lab or in a retail setting. The award will recognize recent achievements.
- Health Care Executive: Honors an executive or an administrator in a hospital, health system, clinic or specialty health care facility that is having significant community impact.
- Health Care Educator: Honors an individual involved in training the next generation of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals. This category is open to nominees from medical and nursing schools, as well as those who provide training in health care facilities.
- Career Achievement Award: Honors an individual who has made exceptional contributions to the health care industry and/or patient care. This is a lifetime achievement award that honors a professional who has made a sustained impact on patients’ lives, whether through direct care to patients or through research and innovation.
How do I nominate someone?
Nominations are open now through Dec. 30, 2024. To nominate someone, use this form. Emailed submissions will not be accepted. Please note: You will need to complete the form once you begin filling it out; it can’t be saved.