Small Business Times is still accepting nominations for the 2005 Health Care Hero Awards. The awards honor organizations and individuals who epitomize the spirit embodied in the word “hero,” whether they are doctors, nurses, physical therapists, nursing assistants, employee benefit managers, community outreach programs or others who are making a difference on the front lines of health care. The goals of the program are to recognize excellence, promote innovation, encourage emulation of successful programs, educate the general public and enhance the quality of health care in southeastern Wisconsin. Winners will be honored at the Health Care Hero Awards Breakfast on Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Wyndham Milwaukee Center Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. The categories for the awards are: Corporate Achievement in Health Care; Advancements in Health Care; Community Service; Physician; Nurse; Health Care Staff; and Volunteer. The program also will include an award for the “Ultimate Health !
Care Hero,” to be announced at the event. The deadline for nominations is Oct. 14. This will be the second year of the annual Health Care Hero Awards program. Chris Cook, the EMS coordinator at Waukesha Memorial Hospital who was wounded while serving in Iraq, received the inaugural Ultimate Health Care Hero Award last year. Cook, a member of the Wisconsin Army National Guard Company B of the 118th Medical Battalion in Waukesha, was severely injured when he bravely fired his rifle at an approaching vehicle that was loaded with explosives in Baghdad. One year later, Cook has undergone several operations and is still trying to recover from his wounds. For additional information about the Health Care Hero Awards program and for nomination forms, visit www.biztimes.com or call Sarah Wilson at (414) 277-8181, ext. 129. The forms also are available in the print editions of Small Business Times.
