Congratulations to NYSSPA 2023 Award Recipients

NYSSPA is pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of the annual PA Membership Awards. These awards are presented to exemplary PAs and physician advocates who are dedicated to fulfilling the mission of NYSSPA by advancing the PA profession and are deserving of recognition. All award winners are nominated by NYSSPA members.

Award winners are recognized at the Clara Vanderbilt Gala on November 11, 2023, during the NYSSPA CME Conference. 

Erin Hunt, PA-C, MSPAS, is an accomplished PA, advanced practitioner lead at Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care, and an agent of change in the healthcare industry. Today, she leads 18 Northwell Health-GoHealth locations, overseeing approximately 90 advanced care practitioners and numerous special projects. Through her projects, PA Hunt advocates for equitable and inclusive care for LGBTQ+ patients and their families, supports her colleagues in the establishment of employee resource groups, and has initiated a pilot program to help expand access to care for individuals at high risk for contracting HIV.

PA Hunt has been an integral part of improving her community while creating a culture of change both in and out of the clinic. The COVID-19 pandemic decreased access to HIV screening, with patients avoiding emergency departments and unable to see their primary care physicians. Seeing this decline in HIV testing, PA Hunt applied for and was awarded a grant to initiate a pilot program offering patients free rapid HIV screening as an add-on to any Northwell Health-GoHealth visit in NYC neighborhoods with the highest HIV prevalence. Through this pilot, her team hopes to petition New York State Legislation to include urgent care providers in the state’s HIV screening mandate, to increase access to care for millions of patients state-wide. 

The Health Equity Index (HEI) designation is awarded to healthcare organizations that promote equitable and inclusive care for LGBTQ+ patients and their families. First awarded to Northwell Health-GoHealth in 2019, PA Hunt and her team have increased education around LGBTQ+ care, including strengthening and disseminating non-discrimination policies, and encouraging proper use of pronouns and intake questions during patient visits.

JEDI PA of the Year

Erin Hunt, PA-C, MSPAS