Four From SSM Health Honored By Catholic Health Association

From the SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton:

June 11, 2o21

Each year, the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) takes the opportunity to recognize outstanding leaders in Catholic health care at its annual Catholic Health Assembly. This year, four individuals from SSM Health are being honored at the event June 14-15, which honored both 2020 and 2021 winners: Sam Ross, SSM Health Ministries and Board of Directors; Kyle Prochaska, SSM Health in Wisconsin; Patricia Casey, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital; and Tiffany Parker, SSM Health in Fond du Lac, WI.

“These individuals embody SSM Health’s Mission and Values in everything they do,” said Laura S. Kaiser, FACHE, President and CEO of SSM Health. “They have set a tremendous example for all of us and we congratulate them on these distinguished honors.”

2021 Honorees

Samuel Ross, MD, MS: Sister Carol Keehan Award

Samuel Ross, MD, MS, member of SSM Health Ministries and SSM Health Board of Directors, received the prestigious Sister Carol Keehan Award for his work in boldly championing society’s most vulnerable. As the past Chief Community Health Officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health and President of Bon Secours Baltimore Health System, Dr. Ross was one of health care’s early leaders working to eliminate health disparities in U.S. communities.

“Sam Ross has long been a leader in the drive to transform health care and eliminate health disparities in U.S. communities,” said Larry LeGrand, President of SSM Health Ministries. “We are privileged to have his experience and expertise as a member of SSM Health Ministries and our Board of Directors – and want to congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.”

Kyle Prochaska: Tomorrow's Leaders

Kyle Prochaska, Regional Director of Planning Design and Construction in Wisconsin, was among 11 young professionals recognized by CHA as one of Tomorrow's Leaders. The award was created to honor accomplished individuals –age 40 or younger – who have demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing the mission of Catholic health care.

As the leader of SSM Health of Wisconsin’s largest and most complex design and construction projects, Prochaska guides efforts to create economic opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses. He has facilitated collaboration with the Urban League to identify and organize on-site mentoring opportunities for disadvantaged communities.

2020 Honorees

Patricia Casey: Sister Concilia Moran Award

Patricia Casey, the STARS program coordinator at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, received the Sister Concilia Moran Award for her work giving Emergency Medical Services (EMS) the tools to care for medically-fragile children. This groundbreaking program connects St. Louis area children who have special health care needs with the first responders who answer their emergencies. When children leave the hospital, Patricia develops an individualized emergency care plan that is then shared with EMS personnel in their community.

STARS now serves more than 700 high-risk children, from infants to 18-year-olds, throughout Missouri and Southern Illinois at no cost to the family and regardless of their child's hospital affiliation. The STARS database — the first of its kind in the nation — is integrated into 911 dispatching systems so that first responders arrive prepared to provide emergency support.

Read CHA's full feature on Casey and her work.

Tiffany Parker: Tomorrow's Leaders

Tiffany Parker, director of Inpatient Behavioral Health, Addiction Services and Domestic Violence Services with SSM Health in Greater Fond du Lac, was also recognized by CHA as one of Tomorrow's Leaders.

Parker began her career as an advocate for victims of domestic violence at St. Agnes Hospital in 2013. Her work provides holistic support for the vulnerable and marginalized through a multifaceted hub that includes behavioral health services, legal advocacy, offender services, counseling and crisis intervention and serves as many as 200 patients per month.

Read the full feature on Parker and her work.

This press release was produced by the SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton. The views expressed are the author's own.