2024 Urgent Care Award Winners Announced

Las Vegas, NV, March 06, 2024 --(PR.com)-- The Urgent Care Association has announced the latest class of its industry Award recipients. These outstanding individuals are commended for their contributions to the advancement of Urgent Care.

The winners, nominated by their peers and selected by the Urgent Care Foundation Awards Committee, will be recognized across five categories at the 2024 Urgent Care Foundation Celebration in Las Vegas this April: Advocacy, Quality & Safety, Rising Star, Humanitarian, Becky Burress Unsung Hero, Sean M. McNeeley, MD, FCUCM Advancing the Specialty and Joseph Toscano, MD, FCUCM Inspiring Excellence Award.

2024 Advocacy Award: Ochsner and Premier Health Private Radiologic Tech (PRT) Program
The Advocacy Award Recognizes an individual, organization, or company for their outstanding contributions to the association’s grassroots, state, or federal Advocacy efforts. Nominees are not required to be a member of UCA.

· · Gerry Cvitanovich, MD (Oschner)
· · Lori Noel, MSN, RN, CNL, CNOR (Oschner)
· · Kevin DiBenedetto, MD (Premier Health)

Working with the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners, the team led crucial initiatives, navigating the state requirements for PRT practices, and lobbied for program approval, as well as approval of a virtual remote supervision operating procedure.

2024 Quality & Safety Award: Founders of UCA Certification & Accreditation Committee
The Quality & Safety Award recognizes an individual, organization, or company engaged in quality/safety-improvement initiatives that focus on improved safety or patient outcomes in the field of Urgent Care medicine. Nominees must be an active member of UCA.

· Peter Lamelas, MD, MBA
· Cindi Lang RN, MS
· Bill Meadows, MD
· Barb Newman
· Nathan Newman, MD, FAAFP
· Steve Sellars, MBA
· Marge Simat (Late)
· Laurel Stoimenoff, PT, CHC

2024 Rising Star Award: Michael Kim, DO, FCUCM | Chris Nugent, MBA, CRA
The Rising Star Award recognizes the best and brightest under-the-age-of-40 newcomers to the industry. They have a proven track record of leadership, innovation, dedication to community and the Urgent Care industry.

2024 Humanitarian Award: Graig Straus, DNP, APRN, FCUCM
The Humanitarian Award recognizes those providing significant medical volunteer work that has had a positive impact on a national or international cause or event.

2024 Becky Burress Unsung Hero Award: Linda Trevino
The Becky Burress Unsung Hero Award was established to honor “Unsung Hero” Becky Burress, UCA’s very first staff member. Becky passed away suddenly in August 2019, and this Award serves as a permanent honor for all those exceptional front-line staff who work tirelessly and selflessly above and beyond the call of duty in the work they do behind the scenes at their Urgent Care center(s).

Sean M. McNeeley, MD, FCUCM Advancing the Specialty Award: Jasmeet Bhogal, MD, MBA, FCUCM
First awarded Spring 2022 to Dr. McNeeley, this award is presented to a College of Urgent Care Medicine member with five or more years in Urgent Care or emergency medicine who has made significant and sustained contributions to advancing the specialty of Urgent Care medicine.

Joseph Toscano, MD, FCUCM Inspiring Excellence Award: J.D. Zipkin, MD
First awarded Spring 2023 to Dr. Toscano, this award is presented to a College of Urgent Care Medicine member with five or more years of medical experience in Urgent or emergency medicine who has made significant and sustained contributions to the industry by inspiring excellence.

To view full biographical information for the award winners and learn more, visit their website.

About the Urgent Care Association
The Urgent Care Association (UCA) is the trade association for Urgent Care, with a membership of more than 4,000 Urgent Care centers representing clinical and business professionals from the United States and abroad.