July 11, 2014

Kevin E. Lofton, CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives, has received the Healthcare Financial Management Association's highest individual achievement award.

The Richard L. Clarke Board of Directors Award was presented to Lofton in recognition of his extensive and far-reaching work in the area of health care disparities and his longtime, ongoing leadership in creating healthier communities.

"Kevin Lofton has dedicated his career to creating healthier communities, both locally and on a national scale," said HFMA president and CEO Joseph J. Fifer FHFMA, CPA.

"His accomplishments serve as an inspiration to all of us."

Lofton has led Catholic Health Initiatives since 2003, after serving as the system's executive vice president and chief operating officer. During Lofton's tenure as chair of the American Hospital Association in 2007, AHA convened a Special Advisory Group on Improving Hospital Care for Minorities and developed resources for increasing the diversity of hospital governing boards along with a Web-based toolkit to enable hospitals to collect race, ethnicity, and primary language data in a uniform way.

Lofton is a former member of the board of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, which is dedicated to increasing the diversity of the health professional and scientific workforce and addressing the primary healthcare needs of people of color and underserved populations. Previously, he was named the 2006 National Diversity Healthcare Leader of the Year by the National Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Established in 1964, the Richard L. Clarke Board of Directors Award recognizes individuals who make significant, positive contributions to the profession of health care finance or the financing of health care services.