Our Denver Health Employees, Facilities and Technology have received numerous accolades, honors and awards.
Denver Health Designated an Aetna Institute of Quality
Denver Health is pleased to announce it has been designated an Aetna Institute of Quality (IOQ) bariatric facility for treating people diagnosed with severe obesity.
Our facility earned IOQ status by consistently delivering safe, effective care. Aetna makes information about qualified facilities available to its members via Aetna Health. This helps members identify quality and cost-effective facilities that meet their special health care needs. Read more
Denver Health Ranks No. 4 Nationally for Social Responsibility
Denver Health has been recognized by the Lown Institute as one of the most socially responsible hospitals in America, receiving “A” grades in Equity, Value, and Outcomes on the 2025-26 Lown Institute Hospitals Index. Out of more than 3,600 hospitals measured by Lown, fewer than 5 percent achieved honor roll status, with Denver Health ranking among this select group of high performers.
Denver Health ranked No. 1 out of 46 hospitals in Colorado and No. 4 nationally on the social responsibility metric. According to the Index, the hospital also performed well on Lown’s community benefit and inclusivity metrics. These are independent rankings and hospitals do not apply or pay to be listed. Read more
Denver Health Honored for Exceptional Diabetes Care
The American Diabetes Association® (ADA) and The Leapfrog Group named 36 hospitals across 12 states as 2025 Recognized Leaders in Caring for People Living with Diabetes. Of the hospitals, Denver Health is the only health provider in Colorado to be recognized for its exceptional inpatient diabetes care. Read more
Denver Health Program Recognized for HPV Vaccination Efforts
A new collaboration between dental practices and pediatrics at Denver Health is showing promise at improving rates of immunization against the human papillomavirus (HPV). Research published today in Pediatrics highlights the groundbreaking work of Jessica Jack, MD, and Scott Hamilton, DDS and the emerging field of Medical-Dental Integration (MDI). Their study, “Improving Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Administration Using Medical-Dental Integration” found significantly improved HPV vaccination rates among children and showcased how integrating medical and dental services can advance public health outcomes. Read more
Denver Health Designated an ACR Comprehensive Breast Imaging Center
Denver Health has been named a Comprehensive Breast Imaging Center by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
This honor recognizes Denver Health Breast Imaging for earning accreditation in mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast MRI and breast ultrasound (including ultrasound-guided breast biopsy). Read more
Bariatric Surgery Center Named One of Best Weight Loss Clinics and Centers
The Denver Health Bariatric Surgery Center has been included in Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Weight Loss Clinics & Centers 2025. This prestigious award is presented in collaboration with Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.
Immunization and Travel Clinic Named Sure Shot Winner
The Immunization and Travel Clinic at Denver Health was named the recipient of the 2024 Denver Metro Sure Shot Award during the 13th S.O.U.P! (Shots Offer Unrivaled Protection) event held on Oct. 10 at the Space Gallery in Denver.
Immunize Colorado honors organizations excelling in community health through immunization efforts statewide. The Immunization and Travel Clinic is recognized for its comprehensive services.
The clinic is a full-service, nurse-run vaccination clinic that served 1,948 patients in community outreach settings and provided 3,502 vaccines in 2023.
NICU Receives the Annie Hall Award
The NICU team has been selected to receive the Annie Hall Award from the DEFINE Colorado Collaborative. DEFINE Colorado (Data-Driven Engagement of Families to Improve the NICU Experience) is a collaborative of providers, NICU staff and parents from 11 Colorado NICUs. As the only essential hospital, Denver Health’s voice in the collaborative (and the data contributed by our NICU parents) has been critical to ensuring that interventions to improve NICU family engagement meet the needs of diverse populations.
Annie Hall was a beloved, young, Colorado neonatologist who passed away in 2021 from breast cancer. Several of our clinicians worked with and/or were taught by her. The Annie Hall Award is given annually to the “individual, team, or organization who has shown outstanding work and commitment to centering families in their caring of pregnant people and infants.”
Specific work being called out by this award includes: the Safe Sleep QI project, the work of PFAC (which includes the upcoming NICU patient reunion and establishing parent advocates on the committee), our dedicated lactation support, work on the discharge team by Liz Pendy, RN, and Annie Kay, PNP, pioneering work Karlee McCoy, PsyD, as our former IMH psychologist, the rededication of the Robin’s Nest for our families, and our care team’s continued commitment to family-centered rounding. The award comes with an unrestricted $500 gift for the NICU to use as they see fit to support these and other projects that help improve the experience of our Denver Health families.
Denver Health receives “Million Hearts” recognition
Denver Health was honored with the “Million Hearts” recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Denver Health was recognized for its work, commitment and successes in keeping patients, its workforce and community heart-healthy through well-being initiatives, nutrition education, tobacco cessation, and cardiology services for underserved populations. Million Hearts is a national initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2027 and focuses on implementing evidence-based priorities and targets to improve cardiovascular health for all.
Denver Health ranked No. 2 in US among academic medical centers
The Lown Institute recently ranked Denver Health among the most socially responsible hospitals in the nation for the third straight year. The Index "measures traditional metrics such as outcomes and patient safety." Last week, the health care research nonprofit released its rankings for the most socially responsible academic medical centers, and Denver Health was the best in Colorado and No. 2 in America, placing behind only St. Luke's University Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
