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WASHINGTON (July 16, 2025) — The ���������� Association (AHA) today announced that it will honor five programs with the AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award for their hospital-led collaborative efforts that improve community health. The winning programs are the Community Resource Center, Endeavor Health, Evanston, Ill.; iHeart Collaborative, IU Health, Indianapolis, Ind.; Community Behavioral Health Workforce Development Program, Mass General Brigham, Boston, Mass.; Food Rx Program, MedStar Health, Baltimore, Md.; and Healthy Moms, Rochester Regional Health, Rochester, N.Y.

The AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award recognizes hospitals and health systems for their collaborative efforts toward improving community health status, whether through health care, economic or social initiatives. Honorees participate in joint efforts among health care systems or hospitals, or among hospitals and other community leaders and organizations. This year’s recipients will be recognized at the AHA Leadership Summit July 20-22 in Nashville, Tenn.

“This year’s Dick Davidson NOVA award honorees are leading the way with programs to create healthier communities,” said Rick Pollack, AHA president and CEO. “The collaborative efforts between these hospitals and local partners have demonstrated how hospitals are reaching outside the four walls to effectively meet the needs of patients and advance health.”

The 2025 winning programs and hospital partners are:

Community Resource Center

Endeavor Health, Evanston, Ill.

The Community Resource Center (CRC), located in Palatine, Ill., empowers individuals and families by providing a wide range of services and resources, including health and wellness support, education and literacy programs, employment opportunities, food and clothing distribution, counseling and youth development programs. This one-stop-shop was established in 1998, and the center continuously adapts to meet the changing needs of the community, ensuring it remains a vital resource. For example, when a health clinic moved to a new location outside the CRC in 2019, the CRC converted the space into a food bank and clothing closet to extend these free resources to more than 85,000 people annually to address the social drivers of health. In 2022, Endeavor Health invested over $1 million to renovate the facility, further demonstrating its dedication to maintaining and growing the CRC’s impact.

iHEART Collaborative

IU Health, Indianapolis, Ind.

The Indianapolis Health Equity, Access, Outreach and Treatment (iHEART) Collaborative was launched in September of 2022 to improve cardiovascular health in communities with higher rates of cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality along with social and structural impediments to health. The program has several key components, which include free blood pressure screenings, cardiovascular education and virtual medication management. The iHEART Collaborative has successfully integrated screenings, interventions and models to create a scalable framework for reducing cardiovascular disease-related health inequities. From September 2022 to September 2024, 4,048 blood pressure screenings were conducted through the program, 77% (3,135) of which were in community settings. Among the individuals screened, 39% had elevated blood pressure, and nearly 30% had not been previously diagnosed with hypertension. Of the individuals referred for follow-up care, 94.6% completed it. These findings underscore the value of community-based, whole-person approaches in identifying at-risk individuals, improving cardiovascular health and advancing the health of communities.

Community Behavioral Health Workforce Development Program

Mass General Brigham, Boston, Mass.

Mass General Brigham’s Community Behavioral Health Workforce Development Program was established in January of 2022 to expand capacity for equitable mental health care across Massachusetts. With a limited number of mental health providers in the area and in school settings, long wait lists and very few mental health services for children, Mass General Brigham partnered with thirteen community-based agencies and schools of higher education to develop innovative programs to serve as blueprints for how the state can address mental health needs. The collaborative partnership has been highly effective and already has met its five-year-goal of supporting 835 students across several academic disciplines.

Food Rx Program

MedStar Health, Baltimore, Md.

The Food Rx Program started in 2021, building upon MedStar Health’s efforts to address food insecurity and its impact on chronic disease within underserved populations. The program seeks to provide patients with the tools and resources needed to better manage their health conditions, reduce hospitalizations and improve overall well-being. Offering medically tailored proteins and non-perishables, regular deliveries of healthy produce and personalized nutrition education, it has empowered participants to adopt healthier lifestyles. Food Rx’s collaboration with community-based organizations, local farms and food distributors has ensured that participants receive fresh, seasonal and culturally relevant foods. Food Rx is addressing immediate health needs while creating a long-term framework for improving health equity in the Baltimore region.

Healthy Moms

Rochester Regional Health, Rochester, N.Y.

The Healthy Moms program began in 1998 to create a nurturing and supportive environment that empowers pregnant and parenting individuals to reach their highest potential. When an individual enters the program, the staff develops a customized plan of care that can include addressing and removing barriers to care, reducing behavioral health symptoms and increasing health literacy. The program offers childbirth/pregnancy education, parenting classes, behavioral health treatment, care management, job training, a community food pantry and much more. Healthy Moms has become an integral part of the city of Rochester with improved birth outcomes and featuring multiple services under one roof in a friendly and welcoming environment.

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About the ���������� Association (AHA)

The ���������� Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners — including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers — and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at .