3 Big Island residents honored by Healthcare Association of Hawaii

Individuals exemplifying the very best in Hawaii’s health care system were recently honored by the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, the nonprofit trade association for the state’s hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, home care providers and hospices.

The honorees represent all parts of the health care spectrum, from direct patient care to executive administration. They work in a range of settings from home health to hospitals. The awardees were nominated by their peers as well as their patients, and feature the sixth annual patient-nominated Hawaii Healthcare Heroes. This is the only patient-nominated award program in the country according to research.

“Hawaii is frequently one of the nation’s top-ranked health care systems,” said Hilton R. Raethel, Healthcare Association of Hawaii president and CEO. “We have one of the longest average life spans in the country with some of the best health outcomes anywhere in the world. This is a direct result of Hawaii’s highly committed, compassionate workforce.”

The association honors the award recipients each year. This year, 14 Hawaii students studying in health care related fields also were given a total of $26,000 in scholarships to further their studies.

Among those honored this year were three Big Island residents:

• Legislator of the Year: state Rep. Joy San Buenaventura

• Legislator of the Year: state Sen. Russell Ruderman

• Advocacy award (nominated by her peers): Brenda Ho, MS, RN; Hawaii Care Choices.

For more information, visit HAH.org and find the association on Facebook and Twitter (@HealthcareHAH).