Thorn, Olmedo receive health awards

WASILLA — Two Valley residents were honored recently for their service in the field of health care.

Former Mat-Su Regional Medical Center board member Craig Thorn is the 2014 recipient of the Bert Hall Award for Commitment to the Health of the Community, and Mat-Su Health Foundation board member Benjamin Olmedo received international recognition with his selection for a 2014 REAL Award.

The Mat-Su Health Foundation board of directors presents the Bert Hall Award annually to an individual who consistently exemplifies commitment to improving the health and wellness of people in the Mat-Su Borough.

Thorn was a board member and later board chair of Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and previously served on the Mat-Su Health Foundation board of directors, where he also was elected chair. He is a lifelong Alaskan with a long history of community service, including as past president of the Palmer Chamber of Commerce and the Palmer Rotary Club, and as a board member of United Way of Mat-Su.

Olmedo was one of only 26 awardees in 10 different categories from 13 countries, and he was the only physician assistant recognized by the REAL Awards program. He joined the health foundation board in 2013 and is a primary care physician assistant with Southcentral Foundation and serves patients at the Chickaloon Village Health Clinic in Chickaloon and the Valley Native Primary Care Center in Wasilla.