On Thursday, May 19th, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) will present its 2022 Health Care Heroes® Luncheon to honor and recognize all COVID-19 and Surfside first responders. The luncheon will also present the Health Care Heroes® Awards to its 2022 honorees, featuring Equitable Advisors Lifetime Achievement to Dr. Roberto C. Heros, Chief Medical Administrative Officer, Jackson Health System, Professor of Neurosurgery and University of Miami School of Medicine. The event will take place from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Jungle Island, located on Watson Island.

“We are excited to be hosting this luncheon to reflect and recognize all first responders who worked relentlessly during the pandemic as well as those who aided in the Surfside tragedy. We cannot thank our community partners enough for supporting this remarkable event.” said Alfred Sanchez, president, and chief executive officer at Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. “We look forward to celebrating our 2022 honorees and recognizing so many crucial members of our society.”

The GMCC Health Care Heroes Award recognizes the collective actions of the individuals, institutions and programs that have made an extraordinary impact in the South Florida healthcare community and whose acts of heroism represent a display of dedication to excellence in their area of expertise beyond the scope of their profession.

The 2022 Honorees of the seven award categories are:

Equitable Advisors Lifetime Achievement: Roberto C. Heros, MD, FACS, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Administrative Officer, Jackson Health System, Professor of Neurosurgery and University of Miami School of Medicine
Health Care Professional: Joseph Lamelas, MD, Chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Miami Health System
Individual of Merit: Tiffany Field, PhD, Director Touch Research Institute, Professor of Pediatrics, Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Miami Health System
First responder: Keith Tyson, Florida State Director 2009-present, Vice President, Education, Research and Outreach, Firefighter Cancer Support Network
Organization/Program: Florida Pace Centers, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, Miami Jewish Health
Nurse: Bridget Pelaez MA, BSN, RN, EMT-P, CEM, Assistant Director, Division of Operations and Safety, Florida International University
Youth Volunteer: Justice Garcia, Alum, American Senior High School
The GMCC’s Health Care Heroes is open to everyone. Cost is $95 per person and $950 per table of 10. Space is limited and advanced registration is required. Acceptance of COVID Guidelines is essential. For more information visit www.miamichamber.com.

The Health Care Heroes founding sponsor is Equitable Advisors and platinum sponsors are Fiserv and UHealth. Award presenting sponsors include AvMed, Baptist Health, FPL, Vitas Healthcare and Miami Dade College-Benjamin Leon School of Nursing. Gold sponsors are FIU, Jackson Health System, Miami Jewish Health, Roar Media, West Coast University. First responders host table HCA Florida Healthcare. Silver sponsors are Center for Haitian Studies, Health & Human Services, Leon Medical Centers, South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare, United HomeCare, Walgreens and Paxton Productions. Table sponsors are FIU Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences, Catholic Health Services, Health Foundation of South Florida, Quick Bernstein Connections Group, Community Health of South Florida, Inc., and Simply Healthcare.
The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce is the proud champion for the Greater Miami Business Community and a civic engine that fuels the advancement of The Magic City. Founded in 1907 as the Miami Board of Trade, today’s Chamber boasts representing more than 400,000-member company employees and is heralded for its legacy of leadership in economic development, and its unwavering commitment to improving the Miami-Dade community.

For more information, please visit www.miamichamber.com.