December 21, 2023- The American Hospital Association (AHA) announced the team from Queen’s North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital, a 35-bed rural acute care hospital located in Waimea (Kamuela) on Hawai‘i Island, as the 2023 recipient of the Rural Hospital Leadership Team Award. The award recognizes small or rural hospital leaders who guide their hospital and community through change and innovation.
The awardees display outstanding leadership, responsiveness to their community’s health needs and a collaborative process that has led to measurable outcomes. The award will be presented at the 37th annual AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, which will be held Feb. 11-14 in Orlando.
Queen’s North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital serves a population that is approximately 30% Native Hawaiian, and some communities in its service area have even larger percentages. Native Hawaiians experience tremendous health disparities with poorer health status, higher chronic disease risk and a life expectancy that is seven years less than everyone else in the state. Hawai’i Island faces significant disparities in access to health care due to provider shortages, limited health services and challenges in transportation. Guided by its Kahua Ola (foundation of health) plan and Hawaii’s Community Health Needs Assessment, Queen’s North Hawaiʻi Community Hospital implemented initiatives toward eliminating the existing health disparities and improving the quality of life for vulnerable patients with complex care needs.
The AHA Rural Hospital Leadership Award also recognized the teams at Providence Alaska in Seward, Valdez and Kodiak, Alaska, and CEO Ella Goss; Cass Health in Atlantic, Iowa, and CEO Brett Altman; and Hannibal Regional Healthcare System in Hannibal, Mo., and Todd Ahrens president and CEO as finalists.