The best speech I never gave. (Editorial).

One of the nice things about being a magazine editor is that I have somewhere to express my innermost thoughts other than to my spouse (whether willing or unwilling) or the family dog (who'll put up with anything). In this case, I'd like to share some reactions I had to a singular honor that this magazine and yours truly received not long ago (from whom, I'll tell in a moment). On my way to the award ceremony I put my thoughts together in the form of a brief acceptance speech, just in case. Thankfully, none was needed. But if I had the chance, here, in so many words, is what I would have said:

"I can't tell you what this award means to me, coming from this particular association. I've been in healthcare journalism 30 years. On the Washington beat, I covered the hospital cost-containment wars of the late 1970s, and used to think that hospital administrators had it bad. But that was then--I've never seen such adverse working conditions as those that you men and women suffer under.

"What strikes me, though, is that despite all this, so many of you take extreme pride in serving a most difficult population, and doing it well. You go the extra mile, even when the resources don't support it and you have but little hope of receiving public praise or even recognition. That is my definition of heroism. And that is why an award from this professional association means so much to me."

The award was the 2002 Journalism Award, from the American College of Health Care Administrators. To ACHCA, I extend my deepest thanks on behalf of myself and Nursing Homes/Long Term Care Management.

P.S. Welcome to this year's annual Buyers Guide. We hope it will be an Indispensable tool in providing excellent resident care in difficult times.