Community Health Improvement Award

HANYS is now accepting submissions for our 2026 Community Health Improvement Award. This award recognizes member hospitals and health systems for their collaborative initiatives to improve the health and well-being of their communities.

The winning program will be recognized at HANYS’ Annual Membership Conference June 24-26.

The deadline to submit your nomination is Feb.18.

Submission criteria and process

CHIA recognizes programs that target specific community health needs while emphasizing the importance of health equity, demonstrate leadership and collaboration with diverse community partners in the community and achieve quantifiable results.

CHIA initiatives:

• are community-focused to identify and address the health needs of the community;
• use a collaborative approach, working with partners within the community;
• are preventive, not part of acute care and usually take place outside of a clinic or hospital; and
• are related to the New York State Prevention Agenda that aims to improve the health status of individuals in New York and reduce disparities through a strong emphasis on prevention.

CHIA initiatives are not:

• quality improvement, patient safety or care transition initiatives; or
• inpatient-focused.

HANYS member hospitals and continuing care providers may submit one nomination per year.

Winner selection

Submissions are judged by an external panel of experts on the following criteria:

• background and Prevention Agenda priority: 15 points
• approach and collaboration: 30 points
• results and impact on the community: 35 points
• conclusions and sustainability: 20 points

The submission scoring the highest will be awarded.

Award presentation

The winning hospital or health system will be notified the week of March 23.

The winning facility will be recognized in person at HANYS’ Annual Membership Conference June 24-26 and promoted through a video celebrating your program, produced by HANYS. All submissions that meet award criteria will be included in HANYS’ new Community Health Initiatives Tool and annual profile book. Members and their community partners are encouraged to use these resources for inspiration and direction on how to replicate successful programs in their own communities.

Questions?

Please contact Kristen Phillips, director, community health policy, at kphillip@hanys.org or 518.431.7713.