During the annual meeting of members of AHA 2025 in Washington, DC, AHA will present Melinda Estes, MD, former president and chief executive officer of Saint Luke’s Health System, and Rod Hochman, MD, former president and chief executive officer of Providence Health and Services, with his highest honor – the distinguished service price – for their long -stand service.
In addition to Saint Luke’s, where she became president in 2011, Estes was also president and chief executive officer of the University of Vermont medical center and held management positions at the Cleveland Clinic, which included two years of CEO of the Cleveland Clinic Florida. Estes was also chairman of the AHA board of directors in 2020. In addition, she was president of the AHA Executive Committee, the Committee of appointments, the COVI-19 Recovery Working Group, the Steering Committee of AHA Physician Alliance and the Center for Health Innovation Leadership Council, among other committees and groups.
“A chief of doctor with an unrivaled and unshakable commitment to kindness and benevolence, Mindy served his communities with dedication and led the field of health care as a AHA chair through incredibly difficult times, including the unprecedented covid pandemic”, ” said The president and chief executive officer of AHA, Rick Pollack. “Mindy’s efforts to improve care and access to patients have had a significant impact at the national, state and local levels, and leave a lasting heritage that will be felt for the years to come.”
Hochman worked 45 years in health care, including 17 with Providence. During his stay, he helped extend access to care, create innovations in providing care and patient experience and increase the quality of care. He was chairman of the AHA board of directors in 2021. Hochman also chaired the AHA Executive Committee, the Application Committee, the Center for Health’s Innovation Leadership Council and the Regional Politicians’ Council. He also sat on the Advisory Council for Health Care, the Committee of Health Systems, the Coalition to strengthen the American Health Council and other Committees and other.
“A leader who always puts patients and caregivers first, Rod has devoted his life and his career to improve access to the most vulnerable care and improve health care for all”, ” said Pollack. “In addition to helping to direct our domain as a AHA chair through the first days of the cocovated pandemic, Rod has a unique ability to examine the future and stay ahead of the curve. To put it simply, Rod’s work has improved the lives of millions of Americans and has established a new standard for the hospital area. ”