The Mended Hearts chapter began at The Christ Hospital in 1976 and connects former heart patients with current patients receiving care. This award recognizes the hospital and its volunteers for going above and beyond in helping Mended Hearts provide support and education to its members and the local community.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for our entire Mended Hearts volunteer team,” said Madison Kramer, supervisor of volunteer services at The Christ Hospital Health Network. “It’s important for our cardiovascular patients to talk to someone who’s gone through similar care and have gone through a shared experience by providing not just clinical care but a level of comfort through our volunteers."
Two volunteers, Lorraine Becker and Rick Gardner were also honored with the Mended Hearts Accredited Visitor Excellence Award. The award demonstrates Becker and Gardner’s service to those they visit, dedication to growing the program and increasing the reach of Mended Hearts support through accredited visits. The two have demonstrated understanding of the importance of the Accredited Visiting Program in supporting patients, caregivers and family members.
“Lorraine is very thoughtful,” added Kramer. “She takes that with her when she visits patients at the hospital making a great effort to get to know the patients. Rick leads with compassion and empathy by meeting the patient where they are in their individual journey. He listens to each patient and gives them the encouragement as someone who has been there. It’s incredibly heartwarming to see how both Lorraine and Rick interact with our cardiovascular patients while also supporting them through their time of care. We are truly thankful to have these two be such great ambassadors of The Christ Hospital Health Network and the Mended Hearts Program.”
About The Christ Hospital Health Network
The Christ Hospital Health Network consists of an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn, a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, five ambulatory outpatient centers and dozens of medical offices throughout the region. For more than 130 years, The Christ Hospital has provided compassionate care to those it serves. Made up for more than 1,300 physicians and more than 6,500 team members, our mission is to improve the health of our community by providing exceptional outcomes in an affordable way. The Network was recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the #1 hospital in the Cincinnati Region and named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list in 2024. It is also a Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award recipient, which recognizes top-performing healthcare organizations that achieve the 95th percentile or above of performance in patient experience.








