The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) announced the winners of the 2025 AzHHA Quality Awards were recognized earlier today at a luncheon as part of the 2025 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference in Tucson.  

For the Third Annual AzHHA Quality Awards, awards were given for two categories: Outstanding Patient/Community Impact and Clinical Excellence. Within each of these categories, there were five classifications based on hospital size.

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“AzHHA created these awards to recognize Arizona’s leaders who are committed to advancing healthcare through exceptional quality performance, community engagement and a culture of continuous improvement,” said Ann-Marie Alameddin, president and CEO of AzHHA. “From this year’s submissions, it’s evident that remarkable efforts and innovation are happening in Arizona hospitals.”

This year’s Top Overall Excellence Award was presented to the Havasu Regional Medical Center for its submission titled “Improving Nurse Retention Through Residency Program.” The submission detailed the enhanced nurse residency program designed to improve graduate nurse retention and reduce turnover. Since launching the revised program in early 2024, graduate nurse retention increased by 21%, rising from 68.4% to 89.4% by year-end.

The 2025 AzHHA Quality Award winners, listed by classification, are:

  • Outstanding Patient/Community Impact Award, which recognizes healthcare facilities that have made a direct and measurable difference in patient outcomes. This includes initiatives that reduce hospital-acquired infection rates, lower fall rates, improve maternal and mental health, enhance patient safety and quality of care, and promote equitable and respectful treatment.
    • 25 beds or less (tie):
      • San Carlos Apache Healthcare Corporationfor its submission titled “Womens’ Health-Mammogram Screening.”
      • Sage Memorial Hospital for its submission titled “Chizh for Elders.”
    • 26-100 beds: Valley View Medical Center for its submission titled “Back to Basics: A Drive to Improve Hand Hygiene Compliance to Reduce Infections.”
    • 101-300 beds: Havasu Regional Medical Center for its submission titled “PIVO Utilization to Reduce Blood Culture Contamination in a Community Hospital Emergency Department.”
    • More than 300 beds: Tucson Medical Center for its submission titled “Tucson Collaborative Community Care.”
    • Specialty hospital: Cornerstone Specialty Hospital Tucson – now called Vista Specialty Hospital of Tucson for its submission titled “Our High Reliability Journey: Liberating our Patients.”
  • Clinical Excellence Award, which celebrates healthcare facilities and teams that have achieved outstanding results in clinical workflows, workforce and process improvement. This recognition highlights initiatives that positively influence care delivery, staff engagement and clinical relationships.
    • 25 beds or less: Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center for its submission titled “Improving Med/Surg Outcomes: RN Retention and Safety Through Mindful Practice.”
    • 26-100 beds: Valley View Medical Center for its submission titled “Building the Future Healthcare Workforce in the Community.”
    • 101-300 beds: Havasu Regional Medical Center for its submission titled “Improving Nurse Retention Through Residency Program.”
    • More than 300 beds: Onvida Health for its submission titled “Transition to Practice Program.”

“All of our award winners illustrate the tremendous work that is happening in communities across our state to improve healthcare for all Arizonans,” added Alameddin.