Texas Hospital Association Announces Annual Award Winners

(AUSTIN, Texas – March 22, 2022)  – The Texas Hospital Association this week held their annual THA Annual Conference & Expo virtually and in-person. This year’s annual award winners were announced to attendees from across the state.

This year’s award winners include:

• T. Doug Lawson, Ph.D., CEO of St. Luke’s Health and SVP of Operations for CommonSpirit Health (Houston), Earl M. Collier Award
• Ross Korkmas, CEO of Palo Pinto General Hospital (Mineral Wells, Texas), Pioneer Award 
• Memorial Hermann Health System (Houston), Excellence Community Service Award 
• Baylor Scott & White Medical Center (Temple, Texas), Bill Aston Award for Quality 
• Peterson Health (Kerrville, Texas), Bill Aston Award for Quality 
• Oceans Behavioral Hospital (Abilene, Texas), Bill Aston Award for Quality 

The Earl M. Collier Award is received by T. Douglas Lawson, Ph.D., of St. Luke’s Health and CommonSpirit Health. It is the highest honor bestowed by THA. It recognizes outstanding executives who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to the health care industry and their profession, who are leaders in providing quality health care services and active in THA and other industry groups.

The Texas Hospital Association’s Pioneer Award is given to Ross Korkmas of Palo Pinto General Hospital. It is award to a CEO/administrator of a rural hospital or health care system who demonstrates creative and innovative management achievements and leadership within the organization and the community.

Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston is named as the recipient of the Excellence in Community Service Award. The award recognizes hospitals and health care systems that have distinguished themselves through contributions to their community.

The THA Bill Aston Award for Quality is received by Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple, Peterson Health in Kerrville and Oceans Behavioral Hospital in Abilene. This honor recognizes a hospital’s measurable success in improving quality and patient outcomes through the sustained implementation of a national and/or state evidence-based patient care initiative.

About THA

Founded in 1930, the Texas Hospital Association is the leadership organization and principal advocate for the state’s hospitals and health care systems. Based in Austin, THA enhances its members’ abilities to improve accessibility, quality and cost-effectiveness of health care for all Texans. One of the largest hospital associations in the country, THA represents more than 650 of the state’s non-federal general and specialty hospitals and health care systems, which employ some 400,000 health care professionals statewide. Learn more about THA at www.tha.org or follow THA on Twitter at https://twitter.com/texashospitals.