President of UCLA Health Johnese Spisso Honored with “Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership” Award
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CEO of the California Endowment Robert K. Ross, MD, Honored with “Lifetime Achievement” Award
Beverly Hills, CA — On Monday, June 12, 2023, President of UCLA Health Johnese Spisso was honored by the Partners in Care Foundation (Partners) at its 23rd Annual Tribute Dinner with the prestigious “Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership” award. This award is annually presented to a leader in California’s health care community who has made a significant impact on some aspects of care. Spisso was the 23rd recipient of this annual award.
The Partners’ Tribute Dinner is the premier healthcare event in Los Angeles that brings together regional titans of healthcare innovation to salute and celebrate individuals whose work is transforming healthcare through remarkable vision and commitment to excellence.
This recognition took place during a dinner celebration held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel before an audience of over 400 healthcare executives from throughout the state.
Also recognized was Robert K. Ross, MD, President, and CEO of the California Endowment. He was awarded Partners’ “Lifetime Achievement” Award for his commitment to expanding equity and inclusion in the community.
Spisso said recognition from the Partners in Care Foundation is “an incredible honor, not only for me but for our whole organization. Everything that their mission stands for – the alignment of not only healthcare but the social determinants of health and providing care for all, particularly underserved populations – aligns with our mission at UCLA Health.”
In her remarks, Partners’ CEO and President June Simmons said “we have worked with UCLA Health for many years and have seen in Johnese Spisso a kindred spirit. Her belief that an organization needs to live up to its mission in serving the community is an awesome standard, and one we embrace wholeheartedly. We see her as the embodiment of what our Vision and Excellence in Healthcare Leadership is meant to recognize.”
Spisso is a nationally recognized academic healthcare leader with more than 40 years of experience. She leads UCLA’s hospital system consisting of the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, the expansive network of over 200 UCLA Health primary and specialty care clinics throughout Southern California, and the UCLA Health Homeless Health care program and the Faculty Practice Group.
“The selection for Partners’ Lifetime Achievement Award reflects Dr. Ross’s role in supporting the vision of transforming underserved communities and supporting grassroots leaders for a healthier California and a healthier America,” said Partners’ President and CEO June Simmons.
During his tenure as President & CEO at The California Endowment, Dr. Ross has advocated for and funded efforts in support of a “Health For All” system across the state, ensuring prevention, community wellness, and access to quality health care for all Californians.
“An equity approach should be part of all healthcare delivery,” Dr. Ross said, “whether it’s COVID vaccines, diabetes management, asthma management or stroke prevention and care. There should be full and unapologetic inclusion.”
Through the Endowment’s 10-Year Building Healthy Communities effort, Dr. Ross led the foundation to support the engagement and leadership capacity of young people and community residents to fight for improved health and wellness at the community level. He also served as a founding board member of Covered California, which was responsible for the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act in California.
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The Partners in Care Foundation Mission is to align social care and health care to address the social determinants of health and equity disparities affecting diverse, under-served and vulnerable populations. Partners promotes the best possible health and quality of life for those most in need through enhanced self-care, social support, and access to key resources. Partners is accredited in Case Management, Long Term Services and Supports (CM-LTSS) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and was the second community-based organization in the country to achieve this status. Partners is a nationally recognized leader in developing innovative community and home-based approaches in health promotion, chronic disease management, and addressing health disparities. Partners has an extensive history in creating, testing, adapting, and disseminating evidence-based models of care. Founded in 1997, Partners has an annual budget of more than $21 million with a staff of more than 250 employees throughout California. We provide non-medical home and community-based services, self-management education, medication safety screening, and outreach and care coordination for 20,000 individuals annually. For more information about the agency, visit www.picf.org.
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