Opinion: Sharing your talent for health

Judging Process

Here’s the Health Care Champions selection process from start to finish:

1. Nominations are submitted from across the health care community.

2. Nominees are notified and given questionnaires to fill out for judging.

3. SBJ selects an independent panel of judges to evaluate each submitted questionnaire, along with a resume and letter of recommendation.

4. Judges individually score each applicant based on their contributions to the health care field and their patients, professional accomplishments and community support.

5. Judges are asked to recuse themselves from scoring any nominee considered a conflict of interest.

6. SBJ tallies all judges’ scores to determine the top two doctors and top three administrators, nurses, technicians and therapists.

7. SBJ announces the honorees and reveals the year’s judges.

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2018 Health Care Champions

The annual event run by Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce for decades, and now a signature event of Springfield Business Journal, recognizes outstanding health care workers who have shown exemplary leadership, constant pursuit of professional improvement and involvement in making Springfield and nearby communities better.

After receiving the 2017 Health Care Champions Top Doctor award, it has been a long year of self-reflection for me.

I began by reading past honorees’ articles, which were very unique and humbling stories about how these individuals made a difference in various aspects of health care.

I noted that all individuals honored had one thing in common: We shared our talents.

Sharing your talents often involves sharing a little of yourself when interacting with coworkers, patients and our community.

That work becomes less of a task. It becomes very personal. And that little spark of sharing often inspires others to do better, and in turn strengthens one’s own gifts.

Let’s all congratulate and honor the incoming 2018 Health Care Champions.

I want to thank Springfield Business Journal for putting the spotlight on these individuals whose contributions, big or small, make Springfield health care better, one person at a time.

Dr. Albert Leonardo Jr. is the director of Mercy Clinic Palliative Care and Mercy Hospice and a 2017 Health Care Champions Top Doctor recipient. He can be reached at albert.leonardo@mercy.net.