Dr. Kevin Locke to be recognized by Iowa Hospital Association

The "Iowa Hospital Heroes Awards" recognize hospital employees who have consistently given of their time, talent and expertise to improve their organizations, patients and communities.

When the Iowa Hospital Association presents the 2013 awards October 10th in Des Moines, Decorah family physician Dr. Kevin Locke will be one of the recipients.

Winneshiek Medical Center officials say they have been notified of the upcoming award, which they describe as "a great recognition."

Dr. Locke has worked in Decorah for the past 23 years.  He is one of the founding Mayo Clinic Health System physicians at the hospital's clinic.

Locke has led efforts to improve each patient's experience when they visit the clinic by decreasing the time patients spend in the waiting room, while increasing the amount of time doctors and other health care providers spend face-to-face with each patient during the appointment.