—via AAHomecare WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 18, 2016)—The American Association for Homecare will honor Melissa Cross, vice president of the homecare division for O.E. Meyer Co., as the first recipient of the Van Miller Homecare Champion Award at our upcoming Stand Up for Homecare reception on November 1, 2016 at Medtrade in Atlanta, Ga.

The Van Miller Homecare Champion Award recognizes and honors AAHomecare members who have made exceptional contributions to the homecare community throughout their careers. A Homecare Champion embodies the spirit of service and caring that are hallmarks of successful leaders in the industry.

Last year, the Association honored Joey Tart and Billy Tart of Family Medical Supply as Homecare Champions. This year, the award has been renamed to reflect the characteristics of an HME visionary, Van G. Miller, past CEO and founder of the VGM Group, Inc.

This year’s honoree has shown great service, passion, energy and devotion to the HME sector. During her tenure as president of the Ohio Association of Medical Equipment Services, competitive bidding was launched, and Ohio Medicaid proposed basing reimbursement rates on the new cuts. Cross’s leadership and advocacy in this issue, including effective testimony before the state legislature, helped fend off a massive reduction to the Medicaid benefit for Ohio HME providers.

Cross has served on the Region B Council’s Executive Committee, the HME/Respiratory Council and the AAHomecare Board of Directors. She has also demonstrated the effectiveness of bringing members of Congress to O.E. Meyer Co. for numerous site visits and has played a leading role in establishing the credibility of the HME industry among members of the Ohio delegation.

The 2016 Van Miller Homecare Champion Award will be presented to Melissa Cross during the Stand Up for Homecare reception on November 1 from 5:30–7:00 p.m., at the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta, Georgia. Please join us at the event in celebrating this honor bestowed on a fellow industry advocate and leader.

Visit aahomecare.org for more information.