HCA (NYSE: HCA) today announced the recipients of the 2003 Frist
Humanitarian Awards. Employee of the Year, Nelly D. Cabuslay, RN,
Nursing Supervisor at San Jose Medical Center in San Jose, Calif. and
Volunteer of the Year, John O. Blair, Volunteer Auxiliary President for
Southwestern Medical Center in Lawton, Okla. were honored today during a
ceremony in Nashville.
Created in 1971, the awards honor outstanding individuals for their
humanitarian and volunteer activities. The Frist Humanitarian Awards are
given each year in recognition of the caring spirit and philanthropic
work of the late Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr., a founder of HCA. Employees and
volunteers who demonstrate commitment and dedication to care giving and
humanitarianism are selected around the country and honorees are
recognized at the local level. The two national recipients are selected
from the local honorees.
The highest honor HCA employees and volunteers can receive, the Frist
Humanitarian Award includes a $5,000 donation to the charity of the
recipient's choice, $5,000 in cash and $1,000 in HCA stock.
Nelly, San Jose Medical Center's most senior Nursing Supervisor, has
been with the hospital for more than 30 years. As counselor to the RN
Recruitment and Retention Committee, she has provided invaluable
guidance regarding the cultural integration of a diverse workforce.
Every year since 1992, Nelly has served as volunteer Nurse Coordinator
of Medical-Surgical Missions to remote villages in the Philippines,
bringing much-needed healthcare to more than 52,000 people living in
poverty. She has also helped establish a scholarship program for
under-privileged high school students in the Philippines.
In San Jose, Nelly spearheaded a program to provide mentorship and
scholarships to students of Filipino descent and has been an integral
part of programs providing mentorship, educational workshops and
orientation to newly arrived nurses in the United States. In addition,
Nelly and her family established the Limos-Danao Foundation, in honor of
her parents, to fund an annual university scholarship.
"Nelly's lifelong dedication to providing outreach and education to
those in need makes her an excellent example of the humanitarian values
upon which HCA was founded," said Jack O. Bovender, Jr., Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of HCA. "Through her selfless personal
contributions to thousands who are less fortunate, Nelly exemplifies our
mission of the care and improvement of human lives both within her
community and abroad."
John, a retired Army Command Sergeant Major, first came to Southwestern
Medical Center not as a volunteer, but as a patient, when he began a
long battle with several neurological disorders. In spite of his health,
sixty- eight year old John arrives at 5 a.m. to deliver newspapers and a
kind word to patients before beginning work as a Patient Escort in the
Admitting Department. John has worked with the hospital's Volunteer
Auxiliary to reach out to children in need throughout Lawton. With his
leadership as President for the past two years, volunteers formed a
close bond with the Marie Detty Center for children who are no longer
able to live with their parents. John also worked with Southwestern
Medical's adopted school to enhance their Accelerated Math Program,
helping the school's under-privileged students learn valuable math
skills.
John's contributions to the community extend beyond his work through
Southwestern. Each year, he organizes the annual appreciation dinner for
the area's law enforcement officers. He also coordinates the preparation
and distribution of a free monthly meal and weekly snack program for
needy families and volunteers. In addition, John transports children to
visit their mothers who are incarcerated at a prison several hours away.
Within his own neighborhood, John has created a Crime Prevention
Program. The Boy Scouts of America and United Methodist Church recently
awarded him a God and Country award for the years of dedication and
leadership he has given to the local Boy Scout chapter.
"John's compassion and commitment to volunteerism, at Southwestern
Medical Center and throughout the community, are an inspiration to all
of us at HCA," said Bovender. "It is a privilege to honor him for his
extraordinary devotion and concern for the welfare of others."
All references to "Company" and "HCA" as used throughout this document
refer to HCA Inc. and its affiliates.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding HCA's business
which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that
involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and
uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those
contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the
Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal
year.
INVESTOR
Mark Kimbrough
615-344-2688