Chairperson's File
Blog posts from 2025 AHA Board Chair Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health, and past chairs.
You may not know Rachelle Schultz of Winona, MN—but you probably can appreciate the concerns she has for her rural community. Rachelle is the president and CEO of Winona Health in southeast Minnesota with a population of 27,000 residents. With all the many real challenges facing rural America, at a…
Of course, every day of every week, our teams working within hospitals dedicate time, skill and resources to provide safe, high-quality care to patients. During the week ahead, the AHA and its affiliates are highlighting webinars, podcasts, interviews and other resources focused on patient safety.
Partnering—not competing—with other health organizations is how many hospitals are working to improve traditional medical care. At the same time, these hospitals are integrating care coordination into sustainable models of improvement. In 2006, Billings Clinic, St. Vincent Healthcare and the…
The work of a Washington D.C. collaborative of hospitals and FQHCs is benefiting the entire community, particularly the most vulnerable residents. Children's National Health System, Howard University Hospital, Providence Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital and federally qualified health centers work…
Community health initiatives that start with small successes can lead to bigger changes. St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, KS, actively participates and was instrumental in the creation of the Finney County Community Health Coalition (FCCHC). This coalition was assembled after a small group of…
The 2017 chair files will begin highlighting efforts that are improving community health beyond traditional hospital walls. The first of these vignettes from the upcoming 'The Next Generation of Community Health' report is on the Children's Health System of Texas, based in Dallas, and how they are…
Trust is among the most important currencies we have as health care leaders. And during these times of change, we have an opportunity to continue to elevate our role as the steady and trusted voice in our communities. One of the ways to do so is by creating new alliances, approaches and information…
On Jan. 20, 2017, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the presidential inauguration and experience the peaceful transition of power in person. With all its pomp and circumstance, which has occurred nearly 60 times since the days of George Washington, it is hard to put into words the emotions…
The 2016 chairman's columns have focused on inspiring stories about hospitals and health systems that are providing exceptional care to impact lives and transform communities all across the country.
All future performance improvement projects will address health care disparities. That's the commitment and goal at Navicent Health, an 800-bed, not-for-profit health system in Macon, Ga. In 2015, the health system initiated several new quality and safety programs to address disparities, including…