Partners in Care Foundation Honors Scripps Health CEO

Partners in Care Foundation presented its 2026 Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership Award to Scripps Health President and CEO Chris Van Gorder at the foundation’s annual tribute dinner in Los Angeles on May 28.

Van Gorder was recognized for his longstanding leadership at Scripps and his contributions to healthcare delivery, emergency response and community service across California. American Hospital Association President and CEO Rick Pollack and past San Diego Fire Department Chief Jeff Bowman travelled to Los Angeles to present the award to Van Gorder.

“It’s especially meaningful to be recognized by an organization that is also on the front lines of helping patients live better, healthier lives,” Van Gorder said. “This honor reflects the exceptional efforts of those across the entire Scripps Health system, who come together every day to put the patient at the center of all we do.”

Van Gorder has guided a financial and cultural turnaround at Scripps during his 26 years leading the organization. He has expanded and stabilized Scripps from a $1 billion group of “siloed” hospitals to a $5 billion integrated health system, while transforming its finances from troubled to strong. Van Gorder also brought the organization from the point of receiving votes of no confidence from its medical staffs to now having a genuine partnership in place between executive leaders and physicians.

He also facilitated greater collaboration by establishing a dyad leadership model, in which administrators and physicians co-lead health care operations. And he has fostered transparency and communication through leadership training programs like the Scripps Leadership Academy, which gives middle managers the skills needed to become exceptional leaders.

A retired police officer who moved into healthcare administration after a near-fatal injury in the line of duty, Van Gorder has a long history of public service. He volunteered for more than 20 years with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department before honorably retiring recently as reserve assistant sheriff. He also led Scripps’ medical response teams that supported victims in the aftermath of wildfires in San Diego, earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal, and Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast.

Through these and other efforts, Van Gorder has helped establish Scripps among the nation’s top health systems, both as a care provider and as an employer. Recent examples include Scripps’ 2026 selection as a top five medium-sized health system in the United States for care quality and patient experience by Premier Inc., marking the eighth time it has made the national list. U.S. News & World Report also ranked Scripps hospitals among the nation’s top 50 in six medical specialties in its most recent “Best Hospitals” list. 

Additionally, Scripps was recognized as one of the nation’s top overall employers – and No. 1 among health systems – in Fortune Magazine’s 2026 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, marking the 18th time Scripps has been included in the prestigious ranking.

Van Gorder is past chairman of the American College of Healthcare Executives and earned that organization’s Gold Medal Award for leadership and community contributions. He also served as an appointee for the California Commission on Emergency Medical Services, which awarded him its Distinguished Service Medal. Earlier this year, Becker’s Hospital Review named Van Gorder to its list of the nation’s Great Leaders in Healthcare.

Based in California’s San Fernando Valley, Partners in Care Foundation is a nationally recognized nonprofit leader advancing community-integrated healthcare in partnership with health organizations, federal and state agencies, and community-based organizations. Partners pioneered and operationalized the nation’s first Community Care Hub model, now being replicated in 15 states across the country, and serves Medicare, Medi-Cal, and dual-eligible populations across California through a no-wrong-door approach and coordinated reimbursable care pathways designed to improve outcomes, strengthen independence and support healthier aging.