Shands HealthCare was named one of five winners of the 2008 Governor's Sterling Award earlier this month.
The award is given to Florida agencies demonstrating excellence in quality and business, said Jodi Mansfield, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Shands HealthCare.
This year marks the first time Shands applied for the award. Mansfield said it is unusual to win the award on the first try.
"We went into this to get the improvement report," she said. "We wanted to win of course, but we didn't know we would."
Other winners included the Hillsborough County Tax Collector, the Marion County Sheriff's Office, the Orange County Clerk of Courts and the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota.
Linda White, coordinator of quality and systems analyst of Shands HealthCare, wrote in an e-mail that Sterling representatives spent seven days visiting the eight hospitals of Shands HealthCare, in cities such as Starke, Jacksonville, Live Oak, Lake City and Gainesville.
Sterling representatives spent approximately 3,500 hours interviewing more than 500 employees from different departments throughout the facilities, White said.
Mansfield said the award will have a positive impact on Shands employees and staff.
"I think that being recognized with the award is going to be a morale booster for the employees who have been dedicated and have worked this hard," Mansfield said.
