Dr. Bill Thomas Named 2009 Picker Award Winner

Picker Institute

Picker Institute

07/22/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Summer 2009 

Dr. Bill Thomas, whose commitment to improving the well-being of the aging and elderly has led to the creation of the Eden Alternative, the Green House and nationwide change in the culture of long-term and institutional care, will receive the 2009 Picker Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Patient-Centered Care in the field of long-term care on the last day of Pioneer Network's 9th annual conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, August 14, 2009.

Dr. Thomas will be honored for his outstanding achievements in envisioning and implementing a new paradigm for long-term care that focuses on nurturing and sustaining a meaningful life for the aging. The award will be presented by Lucile O. Hanscom, executive director of Picker Institute, which has presented the award to leaders in the advancement of patient-centered care since 2003. This year was the first time the award honored a leader in the field of long-term care.

"As the medical director of a small nursing home, Bill Thomas developed a lifelong passion for improving the well-being of the aging and the elderly," Hanscom said. "We have seen this passion translated into the Eden Alternative and the Green House, and transform long-term and institutional care nationwide. It is very fitting that Picker Institute present this first Picker Award in the field of long-term care at a Pioneer Network conference, since Pioneer, like Bill Thomas, is dedicated to bringing the aging more powerful, meaning and satisfying lives, work and relationships. We at Picker Institute look forward to working with Dr. Thomas and Pioneer to make this vision a reality."

Former Picker Award winners include James B. Conway, Senior Vice President, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; Dr. Ed Wagner, Director, MacColl Institute for healthcare Innovation; Dr. Karen Davis, President, The Commonwealth Fund; Prof. Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, UK Department of Health; Drs. Albert G. Mulley and John E. Wennberg, founders of the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making; Sir Donald Irvine, Chairman, Picker Institute Europe; and Margaret Mahoney, Past President, The Commonwealth Fund.

Picker Institute is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the principles of patient-centered care and the global patient-centered care movement. Picker Institute sponsors research and education in the fields of patient-centered and long-term care in support of and in partnership with educational institutions and other interested entities and persons. Visit us online at www.pickerinstitute.org

« Return to News Archive