The American Hospital Association will present a national award later this month in Enos Park to HSHS St. John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical Center for their work to improve the health and quality of life in the Springfield neighborhood.

The two nonprofit hospitals received the NOVA Award, which recognizes hospitals and health systems across the nation for their collaborative efforts toward improving community health. The hospitals were among five recipients of the national award.

The outdoor ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 23, in Enos Park at Seventh and Enterprise streets.

In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the fellowship hall of Third Presbyterian Church at 1030 N. Seventh St., which is adjacent to the park.

Doug Shaw, the AHA’s vice president for member engagement, will attend the local ceremony to present the award. Other speakers at the ceremony are Michelle Ownbey with the Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association, Ed Curtis, president and CEO of Memorial Health System; Dr. Charles Lucore, president and CEO of HSHS St. John’s Hospital; Tracey Smith, director of population health integration and community health with the SIU Center for Family Medicine; and Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder.

Launched in 2015, the Enos Park Access to Care Collaborative is a partnership between the two hospitals and SIU Medicine’s Center for Family Medicine, a federally qualified health center.

The hospitals and SIU launched a community health worker program to serve the approximately 2,300 residents of the neighborhood, which is located between the two hospitals.

The program has increased the number of people with a medical home, reduced emergency department visits for non-emergent health issues and improved self-sufficiency of program participants.

The program also has increased access to pediatric mental health services through screening intervention and educational services at its local elementary school and other neighborhood sites.