West Palm Beach, Fla. – Patrick McNamara, president and CEO of Palm Health Foundation has been named the recipient of the Bruce Rendina Professional Hero Award by the Palm Beach County Medical Society. The award recognizes an individual who has used his knowledge and abilities to improve the health of local, national and/or global communities. Alina Alonso, MD, Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County director and Palm Health Foundation trustee nominated McNamara for the prestigious award.

In her nomination, Alonso praised McNamara as a force for change in health, housing and human services for two decades in Palm Beach County. In his current role at Palm Health Foundation, McNamara has built vital partnerships, strengthened relationships with system partners and created innovative approaches to solving complex health problems in the areas of mental health, diabetes, nursing, and family caregiving. One of his recent accomplishments was joining forces with Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network to envision a way to unify fragmented silos into a comprehensive county-wide system of care for the addicted. Through a unique 100-day challenge process introduced by McNamara, partners put in safety nets where none existed. By the end of the 100 days, an entirely new Safety Net Recovery System of care had been established and 135 people had received services.

In his former position as president and CEO of Community Partners of South Florida, McNamara led the integrated Housing Partnership and Parent Child Center, unifying the organizations’ housing, community and child and family mental health services to create a comprehensive system of care. One of his significant accomplishments included securing over $25 million in awards and contracts to build housing programs for populations in need, including Evernia Place in West Palm Beach, an 85-unit affordable housing complex for low-income seniors.

While the official ceremony to honor the Heroes in Medicine has been postponed due to COVID-19, Alonso is thrilled to see McNamara get the recognition she believes he deserves. “I had the honor of serving as the chair of the board of trustees for Palm Health Foundation for the past two years where I have watched Pat build relationships and leverage system connections to move the foundation to a new level of excellence and improve our community’s resilience to improve the physical and mental health of its residents,” she said. “Our community is now eliminating physical and behavioral disparities by embracing the social determinants of health that lie at the root of our physical and mental health outcomes.”

McNamara has earned numerous awards and recognition during his career, including the 2013 Leadership Excellence Award from Leadership Palm Beach County and the Alumni Citizenship Award from Franciscan University in 2014. His education includes a fellowship at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, Executive Education Program-Achieving Excellence in Community Development, 2012-2014 and a Master of Social Work at Tulane University, New Orleans in 1995, making him a proud New Orleans’s Saints fan.

About Palm Health Foundation 

Palm Health Foundation is Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. With the support of donors and a focus on results, the foundation builds strong community partnerships, respects diverse opinions, advocates for its most vulnerable neighbors and inspires innovative solutions to lead change for better health now and for generations to come. The foundation supports health equity for Palm Beach County residents of all backgrounds, heritage, education, incomes and states of well-being. Palm Health Foundation has invested more than $83 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001. For more information about Palm Health Foundation, visit palmhealthfoundation.org or call (561) 833-6333.