October 7, 2021
Award honors Tyson’s legacy, recognizes leaders embodying dedication to health equity and community service
Washington, D.C. – The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) is pleased to announce the recipients of the inaugural Bernard J. Tyson Health Equity Award: Rhonda Medows, M.D., president and CEO of Ayin Health Solutions and president of population health at Providence in Washington state; and Jeanette Rupert, RN, BSN, PHN, an ICU nurse at HealthPartners and Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital and 612 M*A*S*H in Minneapolis. The award honors the late Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson and his commitment to addressing disparities in coverage and care for all Americans.
“Bernard Tyson was a visionary leader who tirelessly advocated for health equity and high-quality, affordable coverage and care,” said ACHP President and CEO Ceci Connolly. “We created this award to honor his legacy and to celebrate the remarkable impact he continues to have across the globe. I am proud to recognize two outstanding individuals who exemplify the same passion and characteristics that Bernard instilled across the world.”
Awardee Dr. Medows’ career path includes service as a Mayo Clinic physician, as Commissioner for the Georgia Health Department of Community Health and as the Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. At Providence, Dr. Medows leads population health, including Providence’s commitment and comprehensive long-term plan to measurably reduce health disparities and build partnerships with communities to achieve health equity across its seven-state health system and health plans.
“Bernard Tyson and I shared the same convictions of urgency in action to achieving health equity,” said Dr. Medows. “I am humbled and honored to receive this award named in his honor.”
Through awardee Jeanette Rupert’s hard work and dedication, a local medical tent known as 612 M*A*S*H — which stands for Minneapolis All Shall Heal — is now becoming a brick-and-mortar non-profit clinic. Jeanette also collaborates with nursing students on a community needs assessment project to see what interventions can be done to bring health care to underserved populations.
“My sincerest gratitude to the ACHP organization as well as HealthPartners for this unexpected recognition,” said Rupert. “I am honored to learn about the vision of Bernard J. Tyson, his tremendous legacy, and his leadership in health care. His dedication to quality and equity paved the way, so that others, in addition to myself, can continue the work to better our nation by way of serving our communities.”
ACHP is pleased to recognize Dr. Rhonda Medows and Jeanette Rupert for their commitment to health equity and community well-being. The Bernard J. Tyson Health Equity Award will be presented annually.
About ACHP
The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) represents the nation’s top-performing non-profit health plans to improve affordability and outcomes in the health care system. ACHP member companies serve more than 23 million Americans in 36 states and the District of Columbia. Members are provider-aligned health organizations that provide high-quality coverage and care to tens of millions of Americans. They are leading the industry in practical, proven reforms around primary care delivery, value-based payment and data-driven systems improvement. Learn more at the ACHP website and follow us on Twitter for the latest health insights.
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