The Harris County Medical Center Rotary Club honored the Texas Heart Institute (THI) and several other Texas Medical Center (TMC) organizations with the 2022 Healthcare Heroes Recognition Awards.

At a ceremony on July 27, 2022, at the Houston Methodist Hospital, the group’s founding member and Past President, Emilio R. Armstrong, presented the award recognizing the exemplary dedication and work ethic of the healthcare teams who treated patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and also provided critical education to their fellow colleagues and care facilities during the pandemic.

Texas Heart Institute was honored along with neighboring TMC institutions, including Texas Children’s Hospital, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston Methodist Hospital, and Memorial Hermann Hospital.

Armstrong described the TMC’s exceptional atmosphere: “We are very lucky; we live in Houston, and we have the largest medical center in the world. This amazing concentration of bright talent, knowledge, and technology is not common in the world, not even everywhere in the US. We have a unique resource right next to us.”

Dr. Joseph G. Rogers, THI President, and CEO, accepted the award on behalf of the Institute and noted, “We appreciate the work of the Harris County Rotary Club and their recognition of the extraordinary efforts of the entire medical community ecosystem during this profound time of uncertainty for patients, families, and our colleagues.”

Armstrong used a personal story about his family’s life-changing experience with the TMC to help convey the Harris County Medical Center Rotary Club’s mission, sharing, “I am giving back what the Texas Medical Center gave to our family, and Rotary Club is the right organization to achieve that life goal.”