by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Next month, several Florida-based nonprofit health care organizations will get some well-deserved recognition, and possible a hefty monetary award.
The 2006 Sapphire Awards will be presented Dec. 1 in Orlando by Blue Cross Blue Shield’s philanthropic division, the Blue Foundation. Five nonprofits may get a Sapphire Award.
According to Susan Wildes, assistant director for the Blue Foundation, the awards will recognize those outstanding organizations for community health excellence as well as identify them as role models.
“We wanted to recognize them for being best of class,” said Wildes. “We have confidence that they could compete on a national level with the kind of work they’re doing and the impacts that they’re making.”
Roughly 40 nonprofit health organizations were nominated in May for the award. Nominations are made by a health care professional, volunteer, board member or client who knows the organization’s work first-hand, a representative of a partnering organization — such as another non-profit organization or governmental agency — or a representative of a foundation, corporation, or other funding institution.
The Blue Foundation’s Sapphire Award selection committee has narrowed down the list of 40 finalists to a short list of five, but even the finalists won’t be announced until the December ceremony.
“They were all good and strong candidates, as good as the 2005 batch,” said Wildes, “and they have to focus on serving the uninsured and the under served and use best practice protocol.”
Wildes added that many of the nominees are health clinics mostly staffed by retired nurses and physicians who are donating their time.
From the finalists, an undisclosed number of honorees will be chosen to receive monetary awards. Those awards vary in amount and can be as high as $120,000 each. The winners will be announced at the ceremony.
“The money can be used for anything,” said Wildes. “Whatever it is that they need to operate and keep the doors open. We don’t track the money, we don’t ask what you’re doing with it because it is an award, a true prize for outstanding community health services.”
In addition to the monetary reward, winners will also receive the Sapphire Award — a sapphire colored glass-blown sculpture.
The award ceremony will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Orlando International Airport and starts at 11 a.m. and will begin with a presentation from Dr. Carolyn Tucker from the University of Florida on her study: “Culturally Sensitive Care from the Patient’s Perspective,” followed by lunch and then the announcement of the winners.