The Texas Primary Care Consortium presented TAFP CEO Tom Banning with its Primary Care Champion Award on November 3, 2023, at its 11th annual summit in Houston. The award is given in recognition of an individual who has inspired others with their vision, initiative, and consistent advocacy in the organization’s quest to ensure that all Texans benefit from accessible, equitable, and sustainable primary care.
“I am really beyond honored to be presenting this award to a true trailblazer and someone I am grateful to call a very dear friend,” said Sue Bornstein, MD, MACP, executive director of the Texas Medical Home Initiative and the co-leader of the Texas Primary Care Consortium, as she prepared to name Banning as the recipient. “This individual has demonstrated the value and the power of grassroots action and political strategy in reforming health care and Medicine in Texas and nationally for more than two decades. This individual’s dedication has impacted many medical students, practitioners, educators, and patients who have benefited from their tireless pursuit of innovative solutions.”
Banning, who recently celebrated his 25th anniversary of employment with TAFP, accepted the award, thanking his many mentors and colleagues through the years.
“I truly believe the opportunities are there before us to fundamentally change the system for the better, to make it more equitable, with better outcomes and lower costs, and that’s what you guys are doing day in and day out,” he said. “I’m excited about being able to continue the fight and continue to advance what I think is a system that we all want. I’m excited that y’all are here to help with that fight moving forward, so thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much this means to me, and I’m excited to keep working and helping in any way I can.”
The Texas Primary Care Consortium is a statewide collaborative initiative with a mission to advance accessible, continuous, and coordinated person-centered care for all Texans co-led by Texas Medical Home Initiative and Texas Health Institute. For more information, visit www.txprimarycareconsortium.org.