2013 Leaders in Health Care, Outstanding Health Care Executive

WINNER:

Mark Secord, executive director/CEO, Neighborcare Health
By the eighth grade, Mark Secord knew he wanted to be a hospital administrator, just like his father. But he didnt learn what kind he wanted to be until much later.
It was his time as an executive at Virginia Mason Medical Center that revealed what mattered to him most. His proudest accomplishments were those that reached out to the community, such as forging links with area clinics and starting a nurse-midwifery program. The most gratifying was persuading Virginia Masons board in 1992 to take on operating duties of Bailey-Boushay House, a facility for terminal HIV/AIDS patients that continues to serve.

Secords move to the helm of Neighborcare Health, Seattles largest provider of primary medical, dental and behavioral health care for low-income and uninsured families, seemed like a natural fit. His 16 years there, Secord notes, has been a journey of both the head and the heart.

Secord has steered Neighborcare through several rounds of cuts in public funding while continuing to grow its core services. From its start as a loose affiliation of clinics, Neighborcare now sees patients at 20 medical, dental and school-based sites, as well as churches and shelters. In 2011, Neighborcare served nearly 50,000 patients, 92 percent of whom lived below 200 percent of the federal poverty line, a relatively low-income group. Of these, 8,000 were homeless or recently homeless. Were kind of a scrappy lot, Secord observes. We always find a way to get the job done.

In the future, Secord aims to align Neighborcare with the Affordable Care Acts objectives to create a health care home for its low-income clients, where their overall care, including mental and dental needs, can be coordinated. In helping to ensure access to quality care, Secord says, I tell people I have the best job in health care.

SILVER AWARDS:

Scott Bosch, President/CEO, Harrison Medical Center
During his nine years as president and CEO of Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, Scott Bosch has reaffirmed the 95-year-old institutions position as the vital health care provider to the Kitsap Peninsula and beyond, operating six facilities in three counties. Steering through profound changes in the health care industry while focusing on quality improvement and increased service, Bosch helped bring nationally recognized cardiac care and award-winning orthopedic services to Harrison. He also served a lauded term as chairman of the Washington State Hospital Association.

Norm Hubbard Chair, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
The outpatient clinic of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance has had a huge impact since its opening in 2001, with the partnership among Fred Hutchinson, the University of Washington and Seattle Childrens rapidly becoming one of the nations leading centers for cancer treatment and clinical research. Norm Hubbards founding leadership has helped produce the nations highest rates of patient five-year survival, along with a swift tripling of SCCAs Lake Union facilities and expansion of affiliation to 10 facilities in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho region.