The American Hospital Association (AHA) will present its 2014 Award of Honor to Rhonda Anderson, R.N., DNSc, chief executive officer, Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa, Ariz. The award, presented on May 5 as part of the AHA’s Annual Membership Meeting, is given to individuals or organizations in recognition of exemplary contributions to the health and well-being of our nation through leadership on major health policy or social initiatives.

Rhonda Anderson, R.N., CEO of Cardon Children's Medical Center
Rhonda Anderson, R.N.
CEO, Cardon Children’s Medical Center

With a rich background as a nursing leader and hospital executive, Anderson is well known as a national leader on quality improvement. She has served as CEO of Cardon Children’s Medical Center since 2009 and previously served in many roles within Banner Health, including pediatric service line administrator; chief nursing officer, senior administrator and chief executive officer at Banner Desert Medical Center; and senior administrator at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. Prior to joining Banner she also served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Hartford Hospital and vice president of the Hartford Physician Hospital Organization in Harford, Conn.

“Combining her clinical and administrative backgrounds, Rhonda is an asset to all the patients and hospitals through her ongoing leadership in performance improvement,” said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock. “The AHA is pleased to honor Rhonda in recognition of her long-standing commitment and valuable contributions to improving health and health care.”

She currently serves as AHA’s voice in the Measure Application Partnership, the public-private partnership that reviews performance measures for potential use in federal public reporting and performance-based payment programs, while working to align measures being used in public- and private-sector programs. Anderson served as president of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) in 1993 through 1994 and was honored with AONE’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She served as an AHA commissioner for nine years and chair of the AHA Committee of Commissioners to The Joint Commission through which she played a key role in shaping quality standards and expectations for hospitals nationwide. She has also been helpful in shaping AHA’s broader approach to performance improvement through her board seat on the Health Research and Educational Trust and on the AHA’s Committee on Research.

In addition, she was a member of the AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize Committee (2001-2004) and a member of the AHA Task Force on Quality/Patient Safety (2001-2002). Anderson’s active participation in AHA also includes serving as an AHA Board member (2010-2012), on the Health Forum Board and as an active Board and committee participant the American Organization of Nurse Executives. Anderson is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and was an ACHE Regent representing Arizona.

The Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) also will receive the 2014 AHA Award of Honor for its OHA Energy and Sustainability Program.

Previous Award of Honor winners include organizations such as Reach out and Read, Ronald McDonald House Charities®, the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, the Center to Advance Palliative Care, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices and Habitat for Humanity. Individuals such as George Halvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, Steven A. Schroeder, M.D., former president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Donald M. Berwick, M.D., former administrator of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and former president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement have also been honored.