Oregon hospital awarded 2026 AHA Foster G. McGaw Prize

Sky Lakes Medical Center, a 176-bed standalone community hospital in Klamath Falls, Ore., is the 2026 winner of the AHA’s Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service. The prize recognizes Sky Lakes’ efforts to establish its wellness center, which offers lifestyle medicine, nutrition counseling, fitness challenges, mental health support and public events promoting healthier lifestyles. Other initiatives include efforts addressing food insecurity, the transformation of public spaces, tobacco use prevention and partnerships with local schools to help foster careers in healthcare. Sky Lakes will be recognized at the 2026 AHA Leadership Summit in Denver on July 13 and will 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  AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “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.” 

Children’s National in Washington, D.C., Grady Health System in Atlanta and Valley Children’s Healthcare in Madera, Calif., were also recognized as finalists and will receive $10,000 each. 

The Foster G. McGaw Prize is sponsored by the Baxter Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International, and is administered by the AHA. The prize is given annually to a healthcare organization that has demonstrated exceptional commitment to co-designing innovative programs that address social drivers of health outcomes and improve access to safe, high-quality care.