CHICAGO — (January 27, 2016) — Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center of Chicago has been honored by Premier, Inc. as a finalist for the 24th annual Monroe E. Trout Premier Cares Award for helping to transform the lives of those recovering from the complex consequences of politically sponsored torture.
Sponsored by Premier and its member hospitals, the Cares Award recognizes exemplary efforts by not-for-profit community organizations to improve the health of populations in need. Representatives of the Kovler Center were honored during Premier’s annual Governance Education Conference, January 25-27 in Miami, Florida.
“We are honored and grateful to be selected by Premier as a finalist for the Premier Cares Award,” says Mary Lynn Everson, senior director of the Marjorie Kovler Center. “The need for services that support those recovering from torture as they reclaim their lives is very real, and Premier is making it possible for us to bring healing to so many more people who are in need of our help.”
The Kovler Center was founded in 1987 to respond to the needs of the burgeoning number of individuals arriving in Chicago having fled war and persecution in their home countries. Torture survivors are an underserved group often excluded from mainstream healthcare because of the unique nature of their trauma, lack of resources and legal status. With no other torture treatment program within 400 miles, Kovler Center’s specialized services connect survivors of torture to the care they need to start rebuilding their lives.
A panel of national healthcare leaders selects the Premier Cares Award winner and five finalists, all of which receive cash awards for use in further improving their programs. The Cares Award program spotlights these community-based healthcare initiatives and helps other organizations learn to replicate the unique programs by featuring information about them on the Cares Award website.
“Every year our Cares Award program honors six outstanding organizations that are helping to care for a medically underserved population in their community,” said Susan DeVore, Premier’s president and CEO. “Through its innovative program, the Kovler Center is making a true impact.”
###
About the Premier Cares Award
Premier has presented the Cares Award annually since 1991, when it was created by Dr. Monroe E. Trout, former CEO of American Healthcare Systems, one of Premier’s heritage organizations. The program has provided more than $3 million to more than 100 organizations nationwide. The Cares Award winner receives a cash prize of $100,000, while five runners-up receive $24,000 each. The competition is open to not-for-profit organizations that have been in existence for more than two years, are providing creative solutions to health status improvement, can provide documentation of outcomes and impact on a specific population, and have programs that can be replicated in other communities.
About Premier, Inc.
Premier, Inc. is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of approximately 3,600 U.S. hospitals and 120,000 other providers to transform healthcare. With integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, and advisory and other services, Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost. Premier, a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient, plays a critical role in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, collaborating with members to co-develop long-term innovations that reinvent and improve the way care is delivered to patients nationwide. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier is passionate about transforming American healthcare. Please visit Premier’s news and investor sites on www.premierinc.com.
About Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center
Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center (Kovler Center) helps transform the lives of those recovering from the complex consequences of politically sponsored torture. Kovler Center was founded in 1987 to respond to the needs of the burgeoning number of individuals arriving in Chicago having fled war and persecution in their home countries. Torture survivors are an underserved group often excluded from mainstream healthcare because of the unique nature of their trauma, lack of resources and legal status. With no other torture treatment program within 400 miles, Kovler Center’s specialized services connect survivors of torture to the care they need to start rebuilding their lives.
Media Contact(s):
Ned Schaub
312-550-5018
eschaub@heartlandalliance.org
