Profiles in caring
Honorees named for second annual health care awards
Doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and other medical professionals will be front and center at an awards luncheon focused on the health care industry. Organized by the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and underwritten by the University of Central Arkansas, the North Metro Healthcare Awards will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the Centennial Valley Country Club Event Center, 1600 Centennial Club Drive in Conway. The second annual event will honor individuals who are making an impact on the overall health of the community they serve, as well as companies that are dedicated to the health and wellness of their employees. The chamber accepted nominations in late 2017, and a panel of health care executives from across the country selected the following award recipients: Nurse of the Year: Channing Hall, director of nursing, Independent Living Services; Physician of the Year: Dr. Robert McCarron, Conway Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Clinic; Administrator of the Year: Stephana Loyd, vice president and chief nursing officer, Baptist Health Medical Center-Conway; Health Care Professional of the Year: Dr. Gary Jones, dentist, Conway Interfaith Clinic; and Workplace Wellness Award: Kimberly-Clark Corporation. In addition to the awards ceremony, the North Metro Healthcare Awards will feature Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield president and CEO Curtis Barnett as the keynote speaker. Barnett, a UCA alumnus, began his career with Arkansas Blue Cross in 1993 as a plan manager for the company’s primary-care network. Barnett was selected by the Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield Board of Directors as the president and chief executive officer-elect and assumed that position in 2017. Most recently, he has served as senior vice president of Enterprise Internal Operations, where he was responsible for all aspects of operations for Arkansas Blue Cross, including claims administration, customer accounts, customer service, membership, service management, system configuration, and training and development for the company and its affiliates. Seating is limited at the North Metro Healthcare Awards. For more information about the luncheon or to register to attend, visit ConwayChamber.org.