Healthy West Kendall Recognized by Communities of Excellence 2026 on their Journey to Community Performance Excellence
Denver, CO – December 1, 2018 – West Kendall, FL was among the eight communities that received formal recognition for their commitment to the health and wellbeing of residents and pursuit of community performance excellence. West Kendall Baptist Hospital joined with community partners, including Miami-Dade County Commissioner Juan Carlos Zapata and the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, to bring healthier lifestyles to those living in West Kendall through their initiative, Healthy West Kendall.
Since its inception in 2013, the Healthy West Kendall coalition pledged to provide the 300,000 people living in West Kendall with resources to help them choose healthier eating, exercise and disease-prevention options. Led by West Kendall Baptist Hospital CEO Javier Hernández-Lichtl and Commissioner Zapata, Healthy West Kendall’s goal is to create the healthiest community in Florida.
For the second level of the recognition program, communities continue to learn and develop effective approaches that help improve their community’s performance. In addition to the Community Profile, applicants describe key processes in response to Category 1: Community Leadership and Category 2: Community Strategy. The Journey to Community Excellence recipients are: Brookfeild/Marceline, Missouri; Kanawha County, West Virginia; San Diego County’s South Region, California; and West Kendall, Florida.
“West Kendall Baptist Hospital and Healthy West Kendall are proud to receive ‘Journey to Community Excellence’ recognition as a member of the Communities of Excellence 2026 program,” said Javier Hernandez-Lichtl, chief executive office of West Kendall Baptist Hospital. “This recognition is evidence of our commitment to utilize the Baldridge Excellence Framework to achieve excellence in all facets of our performance and improve the health and quality of life of our residents.”
“The Baldrige Program, and indeed the entire Baldrige community, are excited about helping communities achieve ever-higher levels of performance and improve quality of life for their residents,” said Robert Fangmeyer, Director of the Baldridge Performance Excellence Program. “In Fact, that is essentially the mission of the Baldrige Program: to benefit all U.S. residents through improved competitiveness. Partnering with Communities of Excellence 2026 enables us to carry out that mission on a much broader level, with the potential for greater reach and impact.”
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About West Kendall Baptist Hospital
West Kendall Baptist Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 10 hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West, Doctors Hospital, Fishermen’s Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital), more than 40 physician practices, 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network and internationally renowned centers of excellence spanning across Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has more than 19,500 employees and more than 3,000 affiliated physicians. Baptist Health South Florida has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/newsroom and connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/BaptistHealthSF and on Twitter and Instagram @BaptistHealthSF.
