The Arnold P. Gold Foundation and Gold Corporate Council member BD (Becton, Dickinson & Company) are pleased to announce the presentation of the 2022 BD Gold Humanism in Community Health Innovator Award to nursing leader and equity and inclusion advocate Yudith Correa, MSN, RN, PHN. A newly appointed Chief Operating Officer at Santa Rosa Community Health, Ms. Correa has spent upwards of 20 years committed to providing humanistic, innovative care at federally qualified health centers.
Through the 2022 award, BD and the Gold Foundation recognize Ms. Correa’s proven leadership and her commitment to addressing equity and social justice in community health.
Ms. Correa’s award marks the first time that the BD Gold Humanism in Community Health Innovator Award has been presented to a nurse. The joint award was created by BD and the Gold Foundation to recognize the critical role of community health centers in a more visible way. BD is a founding member of the Gold Corporate Council, a group of the world’s foremost healthcare companies that has committed to elevate humanism in healthcare and advance the Gold Foundation’s mission.
“Together with BD, we are thrilled to be honoring Yudith for her steadfast commitment to ensuring access to humanistic care for all,” said Dr. Richard I. Levin, President and CEO of the Gold Foundation. “During COVID, she brought testing to thousands of patients in need, and then listened closely to their needs to expand support and resources further. She has used wisdom from her life’s journey to improve the care of thousands of patients at community health centers and to help amplify their voices.”
Ms. Correa first came to the United States as an undocumented child with her family. At age 14, she began volunteering at Santa Rosa Community Health, the largest federally qualified health center in Sonoma County. She later became a frontline registered nurse at Santa Rosa, and rose in the organization from Clinical Nurse Coordinator and Nurse Manager to Associate Director of Nursing.
In 2020, when the world was thrust into chaos and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Correa, as Associate Director of Nursing, oversaw the nursing organizational workflow and procedures to combat the pandemic. The cases of COVID-19 in Sonoma County were staggering and disproportionally affected the Latinx community, which accounted for 75% of cases but only 27% of the population.
Santa Rosa Community Health’s cross-site team of medical assistants, nurses, and physicians took great pride in being available for the community. On March 28, 2020, they offered drive-through testing for the Santa Rosa Police Department, before it was available through county infrastructure.
Ms. Correa helped to implement new practices and served as a nursing and operations leader for a Covid-testing site that served over 40,000 patients. In addition, she partnered with other nonprofit organizations to provide medical attention to nearly 50,000 uninsured and underserved Santa Rosa residents.
Working Santa Rosa Community Health’s drive-through, Covid-19 testing clinic, one of the first set up in Sonoma County. Yudith Correa was instrumental in organizing SRCH’s response and coordinating with local agencies.
Ms. Correa left Santa Rosa and joined OLE Health as Director of Nursing in November 2020. At OLE Health, she collaborated with interdisciplinary team members to meet organizational standards of practice for registered nurses, medical assistants, and registered dietitians. Ms. Correa also successfully operationalized COVID-19 testing and vaccine efforts for staff, the community, and over 45,000 patients in Napa and Solano counties. In 2022, Ms. Correa returned to Santa Rosa in a new role as Chief Operating Officer.
Ms. Correa earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Sonoma State University and a Master of Science in Nursing – Leadership and Management from Western Governors University. In her spare time, she hikes, collects art and supports Sonoma County art programs, volunteers throughout her neighborhood, and speaks to students at local schools on how to enter the field of healthcare.
Ms. Correa will speak at a Gold Executive Session at the Planetree International Conference on Patient-Centered Care in Baltimore on Nov. 1, which will be followed by the award presentation. The panel, titled “Gold Foundation Executive Session: Nursing Leadership Panel on Humanistic Community-Responsive Care,” will also include Kellie Bryant, DNP, WHNP, Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs and Simulation & Associate Professor at the Columbia School of Nursing – Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation Center. Their conversation will be ignited by Toni Land, MBA, BSN, CPXP, Solutions Principal & Head of Healthcare Experience at Medallia, a member of the Gold Corporate Council.
Ms. Correa also participated in a Gold Human InSight Webinar “Addressing Adversity, Reducing Disparities and Promoting Health Equity across Communities.” The session was sponsored by BD and will be available for viewing soon on the Gold Foundation website.
About BD
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 75,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians’ care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers’ capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect on LinkedIn and Twitter @BDandCo.
About the Gold Foundation
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation is a nonprofit organization devoted to keeping healthcare human through compassionate, collaborative, scientifically excellent care. This Gold standard of care embraces all and targets barriers to such care. We empower experts, learners, and leaders to together create systems and cultures that support humanistic care for all. Founded in 1988, with strong roots in medical education, the Gold Foundation has expanded to embrace today’s challenges and the whole healthcare team with patients at the center. Learn more at www.gold-foundation.org.
