Mark Kimbrough, 615-344-2688orEd Fishbough, 615-344-2810
HCA (NYSE: HCA) today announced the recipients of its 41 annual Frist Humanitarian Awards, the company’s highest honor. Crystal Glass, an Anatomic Pathologic Laboratory and Transfusion Services Manager at OU Medical System in Oklahoma, JB Bermudez-Koch, a volunteer at West Valley Medical Center in Idaho, and Dr. Dennis McCarthy, an anesthesiologist at Memorial Hospital of Jacksonville in Florida, are recipients of the national awards that recognize an HCA employee, volunteer and physician each year. They were presented with the award today at a ceremony in Nashville.
Established in 1971, the awards honor outstanding individuals for their humanitarian and volunteer activities. The Frist Humanitarian Awards are given annually in recognition of the caring spirit and philanthropic work of the late Dr. Thomas Frist Sr., a founder of HCA. Employees, volunteers and medical staff members who demonstrate commitment and dedication to providing outstanding care and humanitarianism are selected from around the country, and honorees are recognized at the local level. The three national recipients were selected from more than 200 hospital-level honorees.
The Frist Humanitarian Awards include a $5,000 donation to the charity of the recipient’s choice and $5,000 in cash for the employee and volunteer. The medical staff honoree receives a $10,000 donation to their charity of choice.
“The Frist Humanitarian Awards reinforce our most important values and recognize those individuals whose achievements are an inspiration for all HCA caregivers, volunteers and employees,” said HCA chairman and CEO Richard M. Bracken.
Crystal Glass was honored for her efforts toward ensuring every young cancer patient receives the correct diagnosis. She works tirelessly to provide patients with the support they require to cope with cancer. To this end, Crystal created the “Turtle Club”; a group dedicated to pray for young patients who are undergoing surgery. Just as a turtle carries its shell, Crystal helps young cancer patients carry their burden. Glass’ energy and care for others is unlimited, and it has extended geographic limits all the way to Nigeria where her volunteer efforts promote the diagnosis and detection of cancer. She has lectured and trained a group of 70 Nigerian laboratory technologists. Serving as the primary instructor, she taught the group how to use a microscope to diagnose cancer at the cellular level. She also assisted in establishing the first of its kind cancer screening lab in Abjua and Lagos, Nigeria.
JB Bermudez-Koch began his volunteer service when he was fifteen-years-old. He is eighteen now, and while most people his age are finishing their school year and anticipating summer fun, JB is unselfishly serving the patients of West Valley Medical Center. As a young child, Bermudez-Koch was a patient himself in the facility, and since then, he became fascinated with the idea of helping people. Later, as a high school student, JB began his service by volunteering as an emergency room greeter. Due to his bilingual skills, he was able to help patients for whom English was their second language. JB felt the need to expand his volunteer efforts, so he used lunch breaks at his summer job to study five different dog training books, which later allowed him to enlist his Australian Shepherd, Gesley, to be certified by Therapy Dogs Incorporated. JB and Gesley are now able to visit patients together. Both love the happiness and encouragement their visits provide to hospital patients and guests.
Dr. McCarthy, along with his wife, initiated the City Rescue Mission’s medical clinic in Jacksonville, a short and long-term residential program that provides medical and spiritual care to those suffering from addiction. In his volunteer work, Dr. McCarthy is extremely persistent in caring for the most challenging patients. In addition to the clinic, Dr. McCarthy and his family regularly volunteer at local homeless shelters on major holidays delivering and serving meals to those less privileged. Dr. McCarthy’s humanitarian efforts also extend to seven different countries throughout his twenty-nine years of medical mission work. Living in remote areas, he sacrifices his own personal comfort and safety in order to reach those with greatest needs. Since the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti three years ago, Dr. McCarthy has cared for nearly ten-thousand of the country’s patients. The people of Haiti, as well as Guatemala, Ecuador, the Philippines, Thailand, and Ghana, are extremely grateful for the care and support provided by Dr. McCarthy.