Statewide hospital groups have honored Arrowhead Regional Medical Center with the 2025 Quality Leader Award for Population Health, officials said Monday.
The California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems and the California Health Care Safety Net Institute recognized ARMC’s “innovative, measurable and equity-driven efforts” to limit the spread of communicable diseases through a robust partnership with the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, according to a county announcement.
“This award reflects what’s possible when hospital and public health teams work side by side,” ARMC Chief Executive Officer Andrew Goldfrach said in a statement. “Embedding communicable disease navigators into our workflows has transformed how quickly we can identify, treat and prevent the spread of infection. This achievement belongs to the physicians, nurses, investigators and support teams from ARMC and Public Health whose collaboration and dedication drove this work forward.”
The award recognizes ARMC’s collaborative program that embeds Public Health communicable disease experts directly into the emergency department and inpatient units. Officials said the model has bolstered early detection of diseases, sped up treatment accessibility and significantly reduced county transmission rates for syphilis, HIV, chlamydia and other pathogens.
County Health Officer Dr. Sharon Wang, who previously served as an infectious disease physician at ARMC before transitioning to Public Health, recognized the need for a more coordinated approach and played a key role in identifying gaps between hospital-based and community-based disease response, according to the county. In a collaboration with the medical center’s Infection Control and Emergency departments and Public Health’s Communicable Disease Section, Wang helped spearhead the development of the onsite navigation model that now serves as a guideline for swift testing, treatment and follow-up.
“Having worked both inside ARMC and within Public Health, I’ve seen firsthand how much patients benefit when our systems move in unison,” Wang said in a statement. “By embedding communicable disease navigators directly into the emergency department, we’re able to diagnose earlier, treat sooner and ensure patients don’t fall through the cracks.”
The initiative came in response to increasing communicable disease trends between 2020 and 2022, including a 36% increase in syphilis, a 3% increase in congenital syphilis and a 5% increase in HIV and chlamydia, officials said. Dr. Carol Lee, ARMC emergency medicine physician, noted that early testing and universal screening offered in the emergency department enabled patients, regardless of their reason for the visit, to receive immediate testing and treatment.
Public Health communicable disease investigators, typically stationed off-site, were based at the medical center to make timely observations of patients, provide guidance during business hours and help ensure people smoothly connect with health care. Officials said the integrated model has yielded measurable improvements, including the documented drop in county disease rates. Removing barriers to testing and treatment in turn reduces delays, prevents further spread and strengthens long-term health outcomes, according to the county.
“We are grateful to partner with ARMC on this life-saving work,” Public Health Director Josh Dugas said in a statement. “Embedding our communicable disease staff onsite strengthens our ability to protect residents, reduce transmission and close critical gaps in care. This collaboration shows how unified systems can drive real improvements in the health of our communities.”
Quality Leader Awards have recognized public health care systems for more than 20 years. The awards honor innovative, equitable approaches to improving care and strengthening the state’s medical safety net. Officials said ARMC’s award highlights the county’s leadership in population health and its commitment to confronting emerging public health threats with data-driven solutions and strong partnerships.
