Horizon Health Celebrates 2024 Outstanding Staff and Donor Contributions
Horizon Health hosted its annual Circle of Care Awards recognition event August 6 to recognize outstanding contributions by staff members and donors.
Keynote speaker Dr. Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, president and CEO of the National Association of Community Health Centers, highlighted positive impacts being made by health centers across the country. Community Health Centers serve the primary care needs of over 32.5 million patients annually or 1 in 10 people across the nation.
Following Dr. Rhee’s remarks, Horizon presented its Circle of Care Awards recognizing staff member contributions across the entire Horizon organization. By establishing the “Circle of Care” awards Horizon recognizes teams and individuals who embody Horizon’s values and mission to ensure all patients have access to seamless, high-quality primary healthcare services.
“We appreciate all our employees and the compassionate, personalized care they provide for their neighbors, family, friends across all of Horizon’s 22 communities.” Horizon CEO Wade Erickson said. “It’s an honor to recognize our teams who go above and beyond to fulfill the Horizon mission of access to affordable, high-quality care for all.”
The Keeping Communities Well Award recognizes an outstanding clinical team that demonstrates excellence in quality, patient care, community involvement, and Horizon’s core values. This year’s award was presented to Howard Medical and Dental Teams.
The Team on a Mission Award recognizes an outstanding administrative/support team that takes initiative to improve the organization’s values, efficiency of services, and processes that continue to move the Horizon mission forward. The award was presented to both the Marketing and the Information Technology Team.
The Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation Award was presented to Rivers Edge Bank for outstanding commitment to Horizon initiatives through financial support and encouraging others to take leadership roles toward philanthropy and community involvement.
Horizon Health Foundation has a long-standing partnership with the bank starting in 2016 when the Foundation was incorporated with supporting cancer care through their sponsorship of fundraising events, and most recently with a $100,000 gift the bank pledged in 2023 to support the Rooted in Rural Program, a workforce development initiative to help with recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals.
The Outstanding Philanthropist Award was presented to the family of Jim Burg posthumously. Jim was a longtime member of the Foundation board and lifelong public servant to South Dakota. Jim’s commitment to Horizon began in May 2016 as he was the second individual to respond to the organization’s first-ever direct mail appeal to support rural patient care.
He continued with his support over the years and in 2018 he joined the Horizon Health Foundation Board. His leadership and passion for maintaining access to healthcare for rural communities helped grow the organization’s reach to support over 5,000 patients in only five years.
He established the James and Bernice Burg Family Endowment in 2021, which helps ensure rural South Dakota Communities continue to have access to vital health care services. Jim retired from the board in March 2024 due to his health and passed away in April 2024.