President's Perspective – Congratulations to Our Heart of Health Care Nominees and Winners
(Oct. 2, 2026) – One of the highlights of the KHA Convention and Trade Show is the opportunity to highlight Kansas health care leaders. The Heart of Health Care Award recognizes and honors the excellence of health care workers statewide. Twenty-nine hospitals nominated individuals for this recognition. This year's nominees serve their hospitals and communities in a variety of ways in both clinical and non-clinical positions. Learn more about the accomplishments of these nominees online. KHA highlighted their impact and accomplishments on our Facebook and LinkedIn channels over the summer. We tip our hat to these individuals and their outstanding contributions. Congratulations to the following nominees:
- Amy Allen, Sabetha Community Hospital, Sabetha
- Danica Bato, Community HealthCare System, Onaga
- Vic Blaufuss, Coffey Health System, Burlington
- Jon Borchard, Minneola Healthcare, Minneola
- Linsey Coster, Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph, Wichita
- Angela Davenport, AdventHealth South, Overland Park
- Lori Dennis, Smith County Memorial Hospital, Smith Center
- Wendel Ellis, DO, Greeley County Health Services, Tribune
- Callie Evans, NMC Health, Newton
- Crissa Foley, Patterson Health Center, Anthony
- Kari Holthaus, Nemaha Valley Community Hospital, Seneca
- Jamey Huffman, Newman Regional Health, Emporia
- Cindy Judy, Girard Medical Center, Girard
- Sam Lane, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, Larned
- Amy LeDuc, Mitchell County Hospital Health Systems, Beloit
- Paul Luce, The University of Kansas Health System, Paola
- Zahra Mahmoudjafari, The University of Kansas Cancer Center, Kansas City
- Jennifer Milner, MD, Wamego Health Center, Wamego
- Teresa Noland, AdventHealth Lenexa City Center, Lenexa
- Jacob Perryman, McPherson Center for Health, McPherson
- Chelsea Shupe, Holton Community Hospital, Holton
- Amanda Simon, Osborne County Memorial Hospital, Osborne
- Dixie Simpson, SCK Health, Arkansas City
- Amy Taylor, Coffeyville Regional Medical Center, Coffeyville
- Tammy Touslee, Decatur Health, Oberlin
- Caley VanLoenen, Graham County Hospital, Hill City
- Dianna White, Ascension Via Christi Hospitals, Wichita
- Beth Whitehead, Greenwood County Hospital, Eureka
- Paul Wilhelm, MD, Kiowa District Healthcare, Kiowa
On Friday, Sept. 11, all of the above nominees were recognized at the Awards Luncheon at the KHA Annual Convention in Overland Park, Kansas. The following six individuals received top honors and awards. Congratulations to our 2026 Heart of Health care winners!
- Jon Borchard, physician assistant, Minneola Healthcare, Minneola
- Lori Dennis, patient advocate, Smith County Memorial Hospital, Smith Center
- Wendel Ellis, DO, chief of medical staff, Greeley County Health Services, Tribune
- Crissa Foley, director of emergency services, Patterson Health Center, Anthony
- Jacob Perryman, APRN, McPherson Center for Health, McPherson
- Chelsea Shupe, social worker, Holton Community Hospital, Holton
--Chad Austin