Longtime volunteer at MountainStar facility recognized with HCA Healthcare Award of Distinction

Paulette Bennett, a longtime volunteer at Ogden Regional Medical Center, recently received the Frist Humanitarian Award as part of HCA Healthcare’s annual Awards of Distinction program. During 13 years of volunteer service at the facility, Bennett has spent thousands of hours comforting patients and even developing a pet therapy program.

The Awards of Distinction are the highest honors HCA Healthcare bestows upon colleagues, physicians and volunteers who exemplify the organization’s culture and values. Each division within the organization names volunteer, physician and colleague recipients of the Frist Humanitarian Awards, along with division-level HCA Healthcare Innovators Award and the HCA Healthcare Excellence in Nursing Awards honorees. Recipients of the division awards are then nominated for the enterprise-wide recognition.

Bennett was the volunteer recipient of the 2024 Frist Humanitarian Award for the Mountain Division, which encompasses Utah’s MountainStar Healthcare network as well as sister sites in Idaho and Alaska. She then went on to win the enterprise’s Frist Humanitarian Award as well, in a ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Curt Stock, a physician and leader at MountainStar’s Lakeview Hospital, also received the division-level Frist Humanitarian Award for physicians, and then was a finalist for the enterprise-level award.

“Each year, it is our distinct honor to recognize the remarkable individuals who make our organization better through their commitment to excellence for our patients,” said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare. “The selfless service demonstrated by today’s recipients exemplifies the mission upon which HCA Healthcare was founded – a commitment to the care and improvement of human life.” 

Bennett and Miss Sophie, her beloved canine partner, help to comfort and calm patients and families during some of life’s toughest moments. Outside of the hospital, she is a member of the Animal Assisted Crisis Response Team and has worked with Miss Sophie to support numerous communities affected by disaster or reeling from trauma. Together as a team, Bennett and Miss Sophie set an example for how valuable pet therapy programs can be, serving in local schools, museums and community centers.

“We nominated Paulette because we believe she represents what that award is all about,” said Mark Adams, chief executive officer at Ogden Regional Medical Center. “She is bringing hope to patients that may be emotionally, spiritually, physically struggling. Paulette brings a smile and a really friendly dog, Miss Sophie, and just makes such an amazing difference.”

“We’ve had a lot of really special experiences,” Bennett said of her years interacting with patients at the 232-bed hospital. “I get as much out of it as (the patients) do.”

Dr. Stock is a Utah physician with a long history of impacting lives, both in his practice and in his quiet generosity and church service. He has completed numerous medical missions performing pro bono procedures using his experience in otolaryngology. In some of the most indigent areas of the world, Stock will wake up, take a cold shower and then perform one procedure after another to help heal children and families that otherwise would not have access to quality medical care.

“Dr. Stock truly personifies our mission,” said Dr. Filip Roos, chief medical officer of the Mountain Division. “He is humble, approachable, genuine and always willing to offer his time and advice. I’ve seen him glow as he recounts his experiences on medical missions, and he has also very quietly changed the course of lives with his generosity and compassion, such as helping others with bills, rent payments, buying food and even college tuition.”

As an enterprise-wise award recipient, Bennett received a $10,000 cash gift as well as a $10,000 gift to a charity of her choice. Stock received a $10,000 gift to a charity of his choice for being a finalist for the physician award.

Other 2024 Awards of Distinction recipients at the Mountain Division level were:

• Excellence in Nursing Award, Compassionate Care: Nikki Ryan, Ogden Regional Medical Center
• Excellence in Nursing Award, Professional Mentoring: Jennifer Serrano, St. Mark’s Hospital
• Frist Humanitarian Award, Colleague: Brooke Nelson, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center
• Innovators Award: Taylor Bryant, St. Mark’s Hospital

The Mountain Division is one of 15 divisions of HCA Healthcare, and has more than 100 sites of care in Utah (where it operates as MountainStar Healthcare), Idaho and Alaska.