Sky Lakes Medical Center Awarded 2026 AHA Foster G. McGaw Prize

Children's National, Grady Health System and Valley Children's Healthcare Also Honored

WASHINGTON (July 7, 2026) - The American Hospital Association (AHA) announced today that Sky Lakes Medical Center in Oregon is the 2026 winner of the AHA's Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service. Sky Lakes Medical Center is a 176 licensed bed standalone community hospital in Klamath Falls, Ore., that opened in 1965. It serves more than 80,000 people across 10,000 square miles of southern Oregon and northern California.

The Foster G. McGaw Prize is sponsored by the Baxter Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), and is administered by the AHA. The annual prize recognizes a healthcare organization for its outstanding commitment to co-designing innovative programs that address social drivers of health outcomes and improve access to safe, high-quality care.
Sky Lakes Medical Center will be recognized at the AHA Leadership Summit in Denver on July 13 and receive $100,000 toward programs that further the Prize's goals.

"Sky Lakes Medical Center goes above and beyond each day to partner with local organizations to advance health in the rural communities it serves in southern Oregon and northern California," said Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the AHA. "From encouraging young people to join healthcare professions to helping provide healthy, local food to those in need to encouraging physical activity and wellness, Sky Lakes Medical Center's community focus is an inspiration to the entire hospital field."

"We're proud to spotlight the impactful work Sky Lakes Medical Center is doing to improve health and well-being in rural communities across southern Oregon and northern California," said Verónica Arroyave, Ph.D., executive director, the Baxter Foundation. "Through strong local partnerships, Sky Lakes is expanding access to quality care, supporting healthier living and creating economic opportunities that strengthen community resilience. Their approach shows what's possible when solutions are rooted in community needs and why continued investment in this work is crucial."

"This Prize affirms our vision of building a thriving community that will benefit generations to come," said David Cauble, president and CEO of Sky Lakes. "Healthcare systems have a unique opportunity to strengthen their communities in ways that extend beyond clinical care. By partnering with local organizations to support wellness initiatives, public art, community gathering spaces, and resilient food systems, we can help create healthier, more vibrant places to live."

Sky Lakes Medical Center's strong initiatives include:

• Sky Lakes Wellness Center: What began as an employee wellness initiative has grown into a hub for community health. The Wellness Center now offers lifestyle medicine, nutrition counseling, fitness challenges, mental health support, and public events, helping people prevent disease and live healthier.
• Addressing Food Insecurity: Through partnerships with local organizations, the hospital has expanded programs like Fresh & Local and the Klamath Grown online market, making healthy, local food more accessible to all. Its efforts also include nutrition education and initiatives that support both families and local farmers.
• Transforming Public Spaces: The hospital is helping to transform public spaces by developing parks, improving trails, providing art installations, and building new playgrounds - making it easier and more enjoyable for everyone to be active and connect with the community.
• Tobacco Prevention: Its collaborative approach has changed local policies (like tobacco-free parks and events, tobacco retail licensing), educated youth and adults, and provided culturally relevant cessation programs. By uniting public health, schools, and local partners, it is making progress in reducing tobacco use and impact on the community.
• Healthcare Career Pathways: It is building the next generation of healthcare professionals by partnering with local schools to provide hands-on learning, job shadowing, and paid "ambassador" roles for students. This innovative program not only addresses critical workforce shortages in its rural community but also opens doors for youth - giving them a pathway to meaningful careers in healthcare. By creating these opportunities, the hospital is helping to break the cycle of poverty and ensure that Klamath County has a strong, homegrown healthcare workforce to meet its unique needs.

2026 Finalists

Three Foster G. McGaw Prize finalists are also recognized for their community health programs and will each receive $10,000. These finalists include:

• Children's National in Washington, D.C., for its:
  • Child Health Advocacy Institute Advocacy Education program, a national model for socially accountable, interprofessional advocacy education for medical students, residents, and practitioners.
  • Early Childhood Innovation Network, a collaboration that advances innovative programs, research, and policy to ensure that generations of children and families in Washington, D.C., can build lifelong health and well-being.
  • Improving Pediatric Asthma Care in the District of Columbia, a program aimed at reducing the frequency of emergency asthma episodes.
  • Family Lifestyle Program (FLiP) that addresses food insecurity and diet-related chronic diseases through its Patient Navigator and Produce Prescription initiatives. For the past three years, FLiP Patient Navigators have connected more than 825 families to nutritious food, culturally appropriate nutrition education, and health-promoting community resources. 
  • Conway Nursing Pathway Program that helps aspiring nurses, called Pathfinders, launch rewarding careers in pediatric nursing at Children's National. 
• Grady Health System in Atlanta for its:
  • Food as Medicine program that was launched in partnership with the Atlanta Food Bank and aims to tackle chronic disease through healthy eating, particularly for those living in food deserts across the community.
  • Comprehensive OB Hypertension Program that is working to reduce the risk of complications of postpartum preeclampsia and reduce the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease among patients who experience disparities in maternal and cardiovascular health outcomes.
  • Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC) at Grady's Cancer Center, a partnership between patients, family members, caregivers, and the cancer center's multidisciplinary care team. PFAC focuses on the voice of those directly affected by cancer through involving them in programmatic initiatives, facility improvements, and patient communication.
  • Teen Experience and Learning Program (TELP) that provides high school students with the opportunity to gain firsthand experience in the healthcare field. TELP enables students to earn volunteer hours, explore a wide range of healthcare careers, and develop essential leadership skills. Beyond individual development, the program also serves to strengthen community partnerships and support the creation of sustainable pathways into the healthcare workforce.
  • Flowing with Blessings, Inc., mobile shower program, which is dedicated to restoring dignity and improving the quality of life for Atlanta's unhoused population through mobile showers, clean clothing, hot meals, and connection to vital resources.
• Valley Children's Healthcare in Madera, Calif., for its:
  • Adaptive Sports Program that provides free, year-round recreational and athletic experiences for children and young adults with physical disabilities or mobility impairments.
  • Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Center that provides comprehensive services to children and their families that meet the physical and emotional needs of children suspected of being victims of abuse or neglect through a multidisciplinary, child-friendly program. The Center collaborates closely with law enforcement, child protective services, district attorneys, and victim advocates on investigations of child maltreatment and coordination of services for victims and their families.
  • Central Valley Safe Sleep Coalition, a collaboration between nine counties in California's Central San Joaquin Valley that includes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome coordinators, early education specialists, physicians, childcare workers, community-based organizations, and community members. The Coalition was born out of an identified need to address inequities in infant mortality rates, including Sudden Unexplained Infant Deaths and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, known as SUID and SIDS, respectively.
  • Epilepsy Family Support Program that provides free critical supportive services to children with epilepsy and their families across California's Central Valley. Through strategic partnerships, education, support services and advocacy, the program addresses key community needs - reducing stigma, improving mental health support, promoting safety on school campuses, and fostering inclusion for children with epilepsy.
  • Basic Needs: Food Security, a partnership with the Central California Food Bank (CCFB) to increase access to healthy food for children and families in need.

About the Foster G. McGaw Prize
The Foster G. McGaw Prize recognizes health care organizations that are committed to community service through a range of programs that demonstrate a passion and continuous commitment to making communities healthier and more vital. The prize, first awarded in 1986, inspires hospitals, health systems and communities to assess and co-create programs that improve their communities. It is sponsored by the Baxter Foundation and administered by the American Hospital Association (AHA). For more information, visit www.aha.org/fostermcgaw.

About the American Hospital Association
The American Hospital 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, two 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 www.aha.org.

About the Baxter Foundation
Every day, Baxter and the Baxter Foundation strive to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people who depend on our products, and in the communities where our employees live and work. The Foundation helps advance Baxter's Mission to Save and Sustain Lives by partnering with organizations around the world to increase access to healthcare for the underserved, develop the next generation of innovators who will lead the way in advancing healthcare and to create a positive, long-lasting impact in communities globally. For more information, please visit Baxter's Sustainability page.