WHA Awards

For more than 55 years, the Wisconsin Hospital Association has honored individuals who have served the health care community. WHA’s annual awards have recognized a broad array of distinguished health care leaders throughout Wisconsin including health care executives, public officials, health care trustees, auxilians, clergy, educators and physicians for their extensive service in support of health care.

 


WHA Distinguished Service Award:  honors senior health care executives who have made an exemplary commitment to WHA and the communities they serve.

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Advocate Health’s Carlson Recognized with WHA 2022 Distinguished Service Award

WHA has awarded its 2022 Distinguished Service Award to Pete Carlson, president of behavioral health services at Advocate Health. The award was presented to Carlson by WHA President and CEO Eric Borgerding at Aurora Psychiatric Hospital on March 14.
 
WHA’s annual Distinguished Service Award honors a senior health care executive who has demonstrated a long-standing and impactful commitment to advancing health care statewide and in their community.
 
Carlson was nominated for the award by his Advocate Health colleagues Chief Operating Officer Bill Santulli, Chief Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr, MD, and Vice-President of Behavioral Health Services Srikrishna Mylavarapu, MD.
 
Borgerding noted Carlson has been instrumental in transforming the way mental health care services are delivered in our communities.

“Among many examples that standout, the one I am most familiar with, and grateful for, is the role Pete played in being the main architect of Milwaukee County’s new Mental Health Emergency Center,” said Borgerding in presenting the award. “It’s not easy to get competitors to agree on a plan, even when they share a goal of better serving their communities. But both in Milwaukee and at WHA in Madison, Pete won widespread respect for bringing together the county, the state and most critically the local health systems to bring this state-of-the-art new psychiatric hospital into reality.” Read More.
 

 

The AHA Grassroots Champion Award was created to recognize those hospital leaders who most effectively educate elected officials on how major issues affect the hospital’s vital role in the community, who have done an exemplary job in broadening the base of community support for the hospital and who are tireless advocates for hospitals and their patients.

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Gundersen Health System's Dr. Scott Rathgaber 2022 AHA Grassroots Champion Award

Every year, one individual in each state is honored as a “Grassroots Champion” by the American Hospital Association (AHA) in consultation with state hospital associations. This year, WHA nominated Gundersen Health System CEO Dr. Scott Rathgaber to receive the AHA Grassroots Champion Award for his service and efforts.
 
Rathgaber regularly participates in WHA grassroots advocacy initiatives, including virtual roundtable advocacy events with lawmakers. Examples include meetings with Congressman Ron Kind, who serves on the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who has been a strong supporter of a number of health care priorities like 340B. He also recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate on behalf of hospitals with members of Congress and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm.
 
Rathgaber also advocated on behalf of his hospital and other regional hospitals in supporting Operation Allies Welcome, in which more than 13,000 Afghan guests were housed at Fort McCoy in Monroe County in August 2021. He joined WHA and other hospital leaders in meeting with Ft. McCoy officials and hosted Homeland Security Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pritesh Gandhi at his La Crosse hospital. Rathgaber also advocated for additional federal medical resources to ensure this new population’s health care needs would not overwhelm the western Wisconsin's health care system.

Rathgaber is a champion of the Wisconsin Hospitals PAC & Conduit, personally contributing to the program, explaining the importance of this type of advocacy to others and engaging with candidates through special events. Read More.
 
2021 AHA Grassroots Champion - Chris Woleske
2020 AHA Grassroots Champion - John Russell
2019 AHA Grassroots Champion - David Lally
2018 AHA Grassroots Champion - Dan DeGroot
2017 AHA Grassroots Champion - Joan Coffman

 

WHA Trustee Award:  honors trustees of WHA member organizations who have made an exemplary commitment to their hospital and to the community they serve.

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Westfields Hospital & Clinic’s Craig Yehlik Receives WHA Trustee Award

WHA honored Craig Yehlik of Westfields Hospital & Clinic with the 2022 Trustee Award. WHA President and CEO Eric Borgerding presented the award to Yehlik on Dec. 19. Yehlik is the New Richmond police chief.

For more than 60 years, the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) has recognized outstanding member trustees, those who excel and make an exemplary commitment to his or her hospital and community.

In presenting the award to Yehlik, Borgerding said, “I have to tell you – we have some great people get nominated for this award every single year, most being recognized for their engagement with and within the hospital. I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a nominee as revered for their work inside and outside the hospital walls, or the board table, as our recipient tonight.”
 
“In so many ways, Chief Yehlik is exactly the type of person this award is meant to recognize,” Borgerding added. Read More.
 

 

WHA Trustee Award:  honors trustees of WHA member organizations who have made an exemplary commitment to their hospital and to the community they serve.

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Advocate Health’s Nan Gardetto Receives WHA Trustee Award

WHA has honored Nan Gardetto of Advocate Health with the 2022 Trustee Award. WHA President and CEO Eric Borgerding presented the award to Gardetto on Dec. 12.
 
For more than 60 years, the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) has recognized outstanding member trustees, those who excel and make an exemplary commitment to his or her hospital and community.

In presenting the award to Gardetto, Borgerding said, “I’ve had the privilege of giving this award 14 times now, and sitting in on the nominating committee’s deliberation for each one. I will say I have rarely seen as strong and unanimous an endorsement from the committee as I did for this year’s recipient, Nan Gardetto.”
 
“Nan possesses a rare mix of empathy for patients, obviously a strong business sense, and an intimate knowledge of the communities we serve here in Wisconsin,” said Advocate Health CEO Jim Skogsbergh. “In addition to her leadership on this board, Nan has been instrumental in driving patient experience and health care transformation for services ranging from integrated medicine for cancer patients to preventing falls and hospitalizations among aging patients, to ensuring access to care for underserved patients through the Aurora Walker’s Point Community Clinic.” Read More.
 
 

 

Health Care Advocate Award:  presented in recognition of partnership with WHA in supporting issues that enable the delivery of high-quality, high-value health care in Wisconsin.

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Rep. Evan Goyke Receives 2022 Health Care Advocate Award

The Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) has recognized State Representative Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) with the Association’s 2022 Health Care Advocate of the Year Award.

Goyke was honored at WHA’s virtual Advocacy Day event on March 23 for his partnership with local hospital leaders and his support of legislation to provide necessary Medicaid funding for hospitals, remove unnecessary regulations and bolster the state’s health care workforce.

WHA President and CEO Eric Borgerding presented Goyke the award at WHA’s Advocacy Day event, held virtually this year and attended by nearly 1,000 hospital supporters.

“Representative Goyke continues to serve as a strong partner in the state legislature alongside Wisconsin hospitals,” said Borgerding. “He understands the tremendous challenges hospitals face, as they are expected by some to fill roles that have been abdicated by government for decades. He knows that this tremendous task is only possible if hospitals are supported by state lawmakers.”

Borgerding added, “We look forward to continuing our work alongside Representative Goyke to bring solutions that will improve health for all Wisconsin residents. Evan doesn’t just show up, he leads.”  Read more.
 

 

Advocacy All-Star Award:  recognizes one hospital or health care system each year that exemplifies dedication to grassroots advocacy.

Advocate
Advocate Aurora Health Receives WHA Advocacy All-Star Award

The Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) has awarded its 2022 Advocacy All-Star Award to Advocate Aurora Health. The annual award recognizes one hospital or health care system for its exemplary dedication to grassroots advocacy on behalf of the state’s health care providers and in partnership with WHA.

Advocate Aurora President and CEO Jim Skogsbergh accepted the award at WHA’s Advocacy Day event, held virtually this year and attended by nearly 1,000 hospital supporters.

“Advocate Aurora Health has been an outstanding advocacy partner with WHA. Members of the Advocate Aurora team are always willing to step up to discuss important issues,” said WHA President and CEO Eric Borgerding. “Their longstanding and ongoing level of commitment to advocacy supports all our state’s hospitals,” Borgerding added.

“We’ve all seen how discussions and debates—whether that be in Madison or Washington, D.C.—directly impact the care that we’re providing to our patients,” said Jim Skogsbergh. “You, WHA, pull us all together, and the stakes are way too high to sit on the sidelines, particularly when navigating the global pandemic,” Skogsbergh continued. Read more.
 

 

The 100th Anniversary Values award recognizes member hospitals who exemplify the five core values of WHA – Advocacy, Integrity, Foresight, Relationships, and Leadership – as WHA celebrated its 100th year in 2020.

Five
100th Anniversary Values Awards Presented to Members in 2020:

 

WHA Lifetime Achievement Award:  given to a member in recognition of leadership, service and partnership with WHA in advocating for better health care for Wisconsin communities.

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Jerry Worrick Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

The President and CEO of Door County Medical Center, Gerald “Jerry” Worrick, was honored with WHA’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Rural Health conference.  Door County Medical Center is a critical access facility serving approximately 29,000 people from Door and Kewaunee counties year-round. That number explodes when more than 1.25 million visitors descend upon Door County every summer.

Worrick received the award in recognition of his leadership, service, and partnership with WHA in advocating for better health care for Wisconsin communities—serving a combined 45 years for WHA.  He served on the WHA Board for eight years, including serving as chair in 2003.  Worrick has been part of the Nominating and Awards, Council on Public Policy, the Property, Financial Solutions and Advocacy committees—and last but certainly not least, on the Council on Rural Health for 14 years.