University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center in La Plata has been selected as a 2026 Circle of Honor Award winner for Patient Safety Innovation by the Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Center through its Minogue Awards program. The recognition honors the hospital’s Diabetes Health Equity Transformation initiative, which focuses on reducing disparities in diabetes care access and outcomes.
The award was announced Feb. 4, 2026. UM Charles Regional, a member of the University of Maryland Medical System, earned the distinction for its systemwide effort to deliver culturally responsive, high-quality diabetes care to all patients regardless of race, background, or socioeconomic status. The initiative received guidance from the UMMS Equity in Patient Care leadership team and emphasizes measurable improvements in patient safety and health equity.
Albert Zanger, chief administrative officer at UM Charles Regional, stated: “We are deeply honored to receive the Minogue Patient Safety Award for our Diabetes Health Equity Transformation initiative. This recognition reflects the unwavering commitment of our clinicians, care teams, and community partners to ensure that every patient — regardless of race, background, or socioeconomic status — has access to high quality diabetes care that is culturally responsive and sensitive.”
Stephanie Peditto, president and CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Center, said: “This award recognizes innovative patient safety initiatives that eliminate preventable harm and improve health equity. We celebrate the people doing this work, and create opportunities to share these valuable lessons for health systems across the region and beyond.”
The Minogue Awards for Patient Safety Innovation identify organizations demonstrating bold leadership and measurable impact through system-level approaches to patient safety. This year’s program received nearly 50 submissions, evaluated by a panel of health care experts. The Circle of Honor Award for Patient Safety Innovation serves as the first-place recognition in its category. Additional honors include the Distinguished Achievement Award for second place and Circle of Honor for Patient Safety Excellence for other outstanding projects.
This marks the third Minogue award for UM Charles Regional in five years. The hospital previously received recognition in 2021 for its Mitigating the Effects of COVID: Protect Your Lungs campaign and in 2022 for Mobility Rounds and Reports: Tools for Improving Patient Mobility and Safety Outcomes at a Community Hospital.
The awards program is named for William Minogue, MD, FACP, the first president and executive director of the Maryland Patient Safety Center, now the Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Center. The honors commemorate his commitment to patient safety and highlight organizations driving demonstrable improvements through innovation.
Award recipients will be celebrated at a special reception during the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Patient Safety Conference in April. The conference provides a forum for sharing best practices in patient safety across the region.
UM Charles Regional Medical Center, located in southern Charles County, serves as a key community hospital in Southern Maryland. Its repeated recognition underscores ongoing efforts to advance equitable, safe care amid regional health challenges, including chronic conditions such as diabetes that disproportionately affect underserved populations.