ADA, OK – The Chickasaw Nation Department of Health (CNDH) has earned the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award for Quality and Performance Excellence.
“We are extremely blessed to have the dedicated employees and leadership of the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health working every day in service of the Chickasaw people and other First American patients,” said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. “I congratulate them on receiving this prestigious Baldridge Award. Since first compacting to provide our own health services 30 years ago, our employees have committed themselves to excellent and convenient care for our patients. We will continue to strive for improved health outcomes for First Americans.”
Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Health Dr. Charles Grim said achieving this distinction reflects a longstanding visionary commitment to ensuring all First Americans have access to high-quality and safe healthcare.
“Being a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige Award is proof that our culture of excellence is not just a goal, it is who we are,” said Grim. “Each day, our healthcare professionals and staff all deliver safe, quality care and aspire to make a meaningful impact in the lives of our customers. They are driven by excellence and never settle for anything less. It is so good to see them recognized on a national stage for the work they do for our people. It is a great accomplishment, and we are both excited and humbled to be one of the 2024 Malcolm Baldrige Award winners.”
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is the nation’s only presidential award for performance excellence. It falls under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
“2024 has been an incredible year for the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health,” said Chickasaw Nation Under Secretary of Medical Staff and Quality, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer Dr. John Krueger. “We received notice from the Department of Commerce in October that we were one of five organizations this year to be awarded the Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Award. The Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence award is one of the most prestigious honors an organization in any industry can receive. Winning this award, recognizes not only our leadership, innovation and commitment to performance excellence and quality but most importantly, it recognizes the heart and soul of the Chickasaw Nation Department of health organization – our dedicated employees. It is the unwavering commitment to our mission and vision that makes us stand out on this national stage.”
Seeking the Malcolm Baldrige Award is a multi-level step application process that requires an organization’s intentional focus and dedication to performance excellence and quality in areas such as customer experience, workforce strength, operational and financial sustainability, organizational culture, and clear strategy for growth. The nationally recognized process allows organizations to identify best evidence-based practices and recognize and address areas of improvement.
For CNDH, the process that started the Malcom Baldrige Performance Excellence journey began at the state level with an application for the Oklahoma Quality Foundation award (OQF). CNDH submitted the application for the OQF award in 2019 and was awarded the top-level state award in 2021. Winning the top state award made CNDH eligible to embark on the prestigious, nationally known Malcolm Baldrige Award for Quality and Performance Excellence.
“The 2024 Baldrige Award recipients are role-model organizations that are helping us address some of our nation’s most critical needs, and they demonstrate the resilient spirit of the American people,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Each awardee demonstrates how the Baldrige process makes it possible for any type of organization to achieve excellence on behalf of the people and communities they serve.”
