Finalists announced for Health Care Heroes

The finalists have been selected for the first annual Small Business Times Health Care Heroes program.
The 18 finalists will be honored at an awards breakfast on Thursday, Dec. 2, at the Wyndham Milwaukee Center Hotel.
The awards were open to organizations, businesses and people making a significant impact on the quality of health care in southeastern Wisconsin.
The program will recognize excellence, promote innovation, encourage emulation of successful programs, educate the general public and contribute to the enhancement of the value and quality of health care in the region.
The categories for the awards are: "Corporate Achievement in Health Care;" "Advancements in Health Care;" "Community Service;" "Physician;" "Non-physician;" and "Volunteer."
The finalists for this year’s awards were chosen from a field of 54 nominations by an independent panel of health care professionals.
The winners for each of the awards categories will not be announced until the breakfast on Dec. 2.
"It was very, very difficult for the panel to select the finalists from such a deep field of nominees. Some incredible things are happening in southeastern Wisconsin’s health care industry," said Dan Meyer, publisher of Small Business Times.
The categories and the finalists (listed alphabetically) are:
Corporate Achievement in Health Care
¥ Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Milwaukee.
¥ Independent Care Health Plan,
Milwaukee.
¥ Joyce Kazmierczak, corporate director of human resources of LindenGrove, New Berlin.
Advancements in Health Care
¥ Dr. Husam H. Balkhy, M.D., cardiovascular surgeon, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center/Covenant Healthcare System Inc., Milwaukee.
¥ Dr. Tobias Enright, M.D., allergy/
immunology, Advanced Healthcare S.C., Milwaukee.
¥ Jann Pfaff, clinical nurse specialist, Waukesha Memorial Hospital/ProHealth Care, Waukesha.
Community Service
¥ Dr. Stuart Berger, M.D., Project ADAM/Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
¥ Covenant Healthcare System Inc.’s Men’s Barbershop Health Initiative, Milwaukee.
¥ Greater Milwaukee Free Clinic,
West Allis.
Physician
¥ Dr. Beth Erickson-Wittmann, M.D., professor of radiation oncology, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center, Milwaukee, and Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls.
¥ Dr. David Hoogerland, M.D., Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, Milwaukee.
¥ Dr. James Ninomiya, M.D., associate professor of orthopeadics, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Non-physician
¥ Betty Kurth, R.N., collaborative care nurse, Waukesha Memorial Hospital/ProHealth Care, Waukesha.
¥ JoAnn Lomax, R.N., patient relations supervisor, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Milwaukee.
¥ Mary Jo O’Malley, R.N., director of ProHealth Home Care and Hospice in Hartland and director of the AngelsGrace Hospice in Oconomowoc.
Volunteer
¥ Barney Apthorp, HELP/Buddy volunteer, St. Michael Hospital/
Covenant Healthcare System Inc., Milwaukee.
¥ Christin Root, HIV/AIDS prevention volunteer, AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
¥ Mark Schaefer, president of the Froedtert Volunteer Services Associates, Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Milwaukee.
Small Business Times also will announce the winner of the special Health Care Hero Award at the Dec. 2 event, which is sponsored by Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP. To reserve space or obtain further information about the Small Business Times Health Care Heroes Breakfast, contact Sarah Wilson at (414) 277-8181, ext. 129.
Ocober 15, 2004, Small Business Times, Milwaukee, WI