Kwik Trip and Sauk Prairie Healthcare received the Alliance’s 2026 Healthcare Transformation Award.
The annual award recognizes employers, providers and organizations that drive meaningful change in the healthcare marketplace by improving quality, affordability and access.
Kwik Trip was recognized for its approach to health benefits, while Sauk Prairie Healthcare was honored for its leadership and collaboration in healthcare delivery.
“Kwik Trip truly cares about the well-being of its coworkers. It’s not just a mission statement,” Curt Kubiak, president and CEO of the Alliance, said in a statement. “They are constantly working to take their health benefits a step further, improving the lives and health of their coworkers and their families. They show other employers what’s possible when you commit to making a difference.”
Kwik Trip was recognized for making care more affordable and accessible, and strengthening the overall health care marketplaces.
“Taking care of people is rooted in our identity and culture. We take great pride in making our coworkers’ lives better,” Bryan Trainor, senior manager of talent wellbeing and compensation at Kwik Trip, said in a statement. “That’s why we’re willing to try new things. We’re always asking, ‘What’s the next innovative step we can take to better care for our people?’”
Sauk Prairie Healthcare was noted as being small yet mighty.
“Sauk Prairie Healthcare exemplifies how a community hospital can lead transformative change in health care delivery,” Kubiak said in a statement. “Through cost transparency, innovative partnerships and a culture of collaboration, the organization continues to prove that high-quality, affordable health care is achievable — one patient, one employer and one community at a time.”
The Prairie Du Sac hospital was praised for high-value care delivery, supporting employee well–being and embracing outside partners and collaboration.
“What makes this award so meaningful is that it recognizes transformation driven by collaboration, not competition,” Shawn Lerch, CEO of Sauk Prairie Healthcare, said in a statement. “As both a health care provider and an employer, we understand the system from multiple perspectives, and that has shaped our focus on transparency, navigation and total cost of care. When providers, employers and partners come together with a shared commitment to value, patients and communities truly benefit.”
The awards were presented on April 15 at the Alliance 2026 Spring Symposium in Madison.
