 The VHQC has more than 60 employees, including physicians, nurses, biostatisticians, health educators and public relations professionals.It was the recipient of the 2002 United States Senate Productivity and Quality Award Plaque for Progress in Performance Excellence, the highest level award bestowed on an organization in Virginia during 2002.The VHQC serves as the federally designated quality improvement organization for Virginia, and is one of the many Quality improvement organizations (QIOs) throughout the nation.