HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA), one of the nation's leading healthcare providers, today presented its annual HCA Healthcare Awards of Distinction at a ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee. The HCA Healthcare Awards of Distinction—comprising the Frist Humanitarian Award and the Excellence in Nursing Award—are the highest honors HCA Healthcare bestows on employees, physicians and volunteers, recognizing the extraordinary individuals who exemplify the organization's culture and values.
The Frist Humanitarian Award recognizes the highest achievements in serving others, and the HCA Healthcare Excellence in Nursing Award recognizes the highest levels of performance in the field of nursing.
"The HCA Healthcare Awards of Distinction celebrate the remarkable individuals whose work and lives reflect the patient-centered and humanitarian values of HCA Healthcare," said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare. "It takes all of us to fulfill our collective responsibility to show up for our patients and to live out our organization's commitment to supporting our communities and one another."
Frist Humanitarian Award Recipients
The Frist Humanitarian Award, created in 1971 and named in honor of Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr. (1910-1998), recognizes those within the organization whose work and lives embody the humanitarian principles upon which HCA Healthcare was founded.
Frist Humanitarian Award employee and volunteer recipients receive a $10,000 cash gift and a $10,000 gift to a charity of their choice, while the physician recipient receives a $20,000 gift to the charity of their choice.
Recipients of the 2025 Frist Humanitarian Award are: Rachel Cantarero from HCA Houston Rehabilitation Hospital Southeast in Pasadena, Texas; Mohammad A. Subeh, MD from Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, California; and Kathy Ward from West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell, Idaho.
"The Frist Humanitarian Award honors our colleagues, physicians and volunteers who show up with absolute honesty, integrity and fairness to serve those in need with compassion and kindness," said Jen Berres, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of HCA Healthcare. "This year's recipients inspire us all through their impact on their communities and the world."
During her 47 years with the organization, Rachel Cantarero has served in various human resources roles at HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast. Outside of work, Cantarero shares her passion for community service by volunteering for local and international organizations. In the last year alone, she devoted 277 hours to volunteering, including time at the San Vincente de Paul Children's Home and Orphanage. Since she began volunteering with the organization in 2019, Cantarero has made several trips to volunteer on-site and sent more than 20 boxes of clothing, shoes, backpacks and other school supplies to the children's home.
Outside of caring for patients in the emergency department at Good Samaritan Hospital, Dr. Mohammad Subeh volunteers his medical expertise in crisis zones around the world. He has provided lifesaving care to trauma victims, children and families in devastated communities. His dedication to serving others worldwide inspires his colleagues, and, whether in San Jose, California or across the globe, Dr. Subeh offers compassion, courage and dignity to his patients. Through his unwavering commitment to care for those in greatest need, regardless of where they are or how difficult the circumstance, he embodies the spirit of the Frist Humanitarian Award.
Kathy Ward has volunteered at West Valley Medical Center for six years, following a 30-year career in the medical field. She leads the Pink Angel Project through the hospital's auxiliary group, raising funds to provide comfort bags that she personally delivers to patients affected by breast cancer. Her passion also inspired her husband to join her in service, demonstrating how one person's compassion can be a catalyst for positive impact. Outside of the hospital, Kathy volunteers with Caldwell Night Rodeo, a long-standing community event that raises thousands of dollars for local causes, including the Power of Pink mammogram program to raise awareness of the importance of breast cancer screenings.
HCA Healthcare Excellence in Nursing Award Recipients
HCA Healthcare's knowledgeable and compassionate nurses are on the front line of patient care every day. Created in 2014, the Excellence in Nursing Award recognizes the intrinsic value of the nursing practice in accomplishing HCA Healthcare's goal of providing high-quality care to the patients and communities it serves. With categories for professional mentoring and compassionate care, the Excellence in Nursing Award recipients each receive a $10,000 cash gift and a $10,000 donation to the charity of the recipient's choice.
This year's recipients are Susan Roberts-Bradley, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC from St. David's South Austin Medical Center in Austin, Texas, and Max Fransen, BSN, RN from Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Susan Roberts-Bradley, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC, received the Excellence in Nursing Award in the Professional Mentoring category. Affectionately known as the "RNR whisperer," Roberts-Bradley is a vital part of the development process for nurse externs, new grads and experienced nurses alike at St. David's South Austin Medical Center. She leads the New Grad RN Council and co-leads the Nurse Extern Council, developing monthly programs that connect nurses with knowledge and resources to help facilitate their success. Her mentorship is hands-on, personal and deeply compassionate. Outside of the hospital, Roberts-Bradley is a respected leader in the community, speaking at area schools and engaging in recruitment events, where she helps inspire future healthcare professionals.
Max Fransen, BSN, RN, received the Excellence in Nursing Award in the Compassionate Care category. Fransen started his career at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center as an RN in the Intensive Care Unit, where he cared for many families deep in grief, fear and uncertainty. Now, as a critical care nurse in the emergency room, he often interacts with patients and families on their worst day. Through it all, Fransen is known as a nurse who is present for his patients and their loved ones, both physically and emotionally. His humility, tenderness and unwavering dedication are a few of the qualities that make him an exceptional nurse and human being.
"The nurses we honor today are exceptional examples of the compassionate, people-first approach to care we strive to provide every day," said Sammie Mosier, DHA, MA, BSN, NE-BC, senior vice president and chief nurse executive of HCA Healthcare. "Our nurses at HCA Healthcare truly demonstrate the value of caring for each other like family, and we thank you."
About HCA Healthcare
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services comprising 191 hospitals and approximately 2,500 ambulatory sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44%. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its approximately 44 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives.
All references to "Company," "HCA" and "HCA Healthcare" as used throughout this document refer to HCA Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates.
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