The Greater Fayetteville Business Journal is proud to announce that our annual Health Care Heroes Event is returning to Fayetteville for its third year in a row. The event will take place on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden. 

Dedicated to honoring the lifesavers in our community, Health Care Heroes is a night of inspiration, networking and honoring the driving forces behind a thriving community of health care providers. 

Over 70 nominations were submitted for consideration for 2025, and a dedicated panel of judges gathered to select this year’s winners in early October. Together, they selected winners for nine categories including:

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 

Honors an individual for achievements throughout his or her career. Judges considered the individual's professional accomplishments, impact on the community and assistance they gave to others.

COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT 

Honors an individual or team who successfully implemented a program addressing a problem in health care administration, delivery or community outreach. Judges considered its uniqueness, cost-effectiveness and impact on the community.

HEALTH CARE EXECUTIVE 

Honors an individual whose job performance is considered exemplary by people within their organizations, peers and community members. Judges considered their impact on their organization and the community and relevant testimonials.

INNOVATION IN HEALTH CARE 

Honors an individual or team behind a new scientific discovery, procedure, treatment or device that can save lives or improve the quality of life for a large number of people. Judges considered the current and potential impact of the innovation.

PHYSICIAN 

Honors a physician whose performance is considered exemplary by patients, peers and other health care providers. Judges considered evidence of positive clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and relevant testimonials.

NURSE 

Honors a nurse whose performance is considered exemplary by patients, peers and other health care providers. Judges considered evidence of positive clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and relevant testimonials.

NURSE PRACTITIONER/ PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT 

Honors a nurse practitioner or physician assistant whose performance is considered exemplary by patients, peers and other health care providers. Judges considered evidence of positive clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and relevant testimonials.

UNSUNG HERO 

Honors anyone working in health care who may not fit into the categories listed above. This includes first responders, physical therapists, dental professionals, chiropractors, certified nursing aides, mental health professionals, researchers, administrators and others whose performance is considered exemplary by patients, colleagues and other health care providers. Judges considered evidence of positive clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction and relevant testimonials.

VOLUNTEER 

Honors a volunteer at a health care provider or other health-related organization who is considered exemplary by people within those organizations. Judges considered their impact on health care delivery and how their involvement has made a significant difference.

Previous winners include Dr. Jennifer Green, health director of Cumberland County Department of Public Health for the Innovation category, Michael Nagowski, CEO of Cape Fear Valley Medical Center as the winner of the Health Care Executive award and Dr. Franklin S. Clark III, recognized for Lifetime Achievement. 

“Every year it’s a challenge to pick just one winner for each category” shared GFBJ Associate Publisher, Editor and Mistress of Ceremonies for the event Faith Hatton. “We appreciate every single nomination and every hero in our community. I don’t envy our judging panel one bit when having to narrow it down. Each nomination was written with care and intent, and some of them are even pitched on the spot with so much emotion and feeling during judging. It’s a wonderful feeling bringing the event to the community every year.” 

The greater Fayetteville community continues to see growth in the regional health care systems; from new specialists becoming available, to new centers currently under construction and the incoming Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine going up on the Cape Fear Valley Health campus. Health Care Heroes is an event meant to highlight not just the driving forces and voices behind those developments, but the health care workers that will ensure they provide top notch patient care and healing. 

“This year, we really tried to involve a lot of the smaller providers in Fayetteville. I went door to door handing out flyers announcing our nominations were open at local health care offices encouraging them to nominate someone. I was so happy to see some names that I recognized, and I’m excited to host them this year,” shared Hatton. “Next year, we’d like to connect with the military health care community to be able to include them in the event as well!”

GFBJ will release its annual Health Care Heroes focused issue on Friday, Nov. 7 outlining the finalists for each category and announcing the winner of the Lifetime Achievement award. This special issue will also be available during the event.