/ en Thu, 01 May 2025 02:19:14 -0500 Fri, 21 Jan 22 14:35:13 -0600 <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <h2>Introduction</h2> <p>We want to welcome you as you take on another part of the Health Equity Transformation journey. Now that you have received your HETA profile, the fun work of organizational change begins. We have heard from many hospitals and health systems that the greatest challenge is moving forward beyond the proclamation that equity is essential to patient safety and equitable hospital organizations. We have developed this action planner tool to support you in moving across the transformation continuum.</p> <p>Once you have studied and discussed your profile, you will find the links to the appropriate levers that correspond with advancing to your next position on the continuum. As part of this process, you are invited to participate in a community of learners on the equity journey in hospitals and health care systems. Sharing your innovative policies and practices, learnings, questions and accomplishments are some of the features of the Equity Roadmap Journey Community.</p> <p>As your hospital travels across the continuum we have outlined primary deliverables of each position on the continuum below:</p> <p><img alt="Tranformation Continuum. Primary Deliverables: Exploring—Strategic Planning: Develop strategic plans. Committing—Implementation Planning: Develop implementation plan of strategy. Immersing—Leadership Accountability: CEO and management teams integrate learning DEI framework as Standard Operating Procedures. Affirming—Institutionalization: Policies and practices are assessed and monitored for sustaining DEI progress toward goals. 5. Transforming—Investing in the Community Ecosystem: Collaborate with a wide range of representative stakeholders to promote DEI in the communities hospital serves." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9e838e87-ac4c-4fd3-824a-36613b15c142" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/TAP-Transformation-Continuum_0.png" width="2875" height="824"></p> <p>Action Planning is a critical step in collectively advancing equity and dismantling structural barriers (e.g., racism, sexism, ageism, etc.) in hospitals and health care systems. This process is designed to support hospitals at every stage of the journey. Some hospitals are just beginning, developing a strategic plan and looking for data to collect, while others have institutionalized equity through policy and practice. Some are collaborating with a wide range of community stakeholders to advance health equity in their ecosystem. Regardless of your starting point, AHA invites you to use the Action Planners to mobilize your leadership, governing body, staff and community toward institutional change. Discover opportunities to change policy and practices that will institutionalize equity in your organization.</p> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2022/01/equity-roadmap-tap-diverse-leadership-transforming.pdf" target="_blank" title="Click here to download the complete Diverse Representation in Leadership and Governance: Transforming Transformation Action Planner PDF."><img alt="Diverse Representation in Leadership and Governance: Transforming Transformation Action Planner page 1." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="df3dddfa-37cd-4510-8271-6595c1473961" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Page-1-equity-roadmap-tap-diverse-leadership-transforming.png" width="3971" height="3069"></a></p> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 21 Jan 2022 14:35:13 -0600 Trustees /node/681718 <p>This guidebook offers a section on why investing in communities is necessary for the benefit of the overall health of local populations and in encouraging accountability. The guidebook encourages the involvement of leaders in the local community.</p> Thu, 20 Jan 2022 15:12:45 -0600 Trustees /node/681698 <p>This tool provides the do's and don'ts on the level involvement of the chief executive be in the recruitment process. While the board is ultimately responsible for recruiting and selecting new board members, the chief executive also plays an important role in the process. Including information from Recruiting a Stronger Board, this resource explains when CEOs should be involved and when they need to take a step back.</p> Thu, 20 Jan 2022 14:01:48 -0600 Trustees /node/681453 <p>This pamphlet is an example of an active DEI initiative at a health organization. They clearly define diversity and inclusion, why it's important, outlining their mission and explaining what they do, and identifying their leaders and members. Most importantly, they indicate how they should be percieved in the community and in the hospital so they may be held accountable.</p> Thu, 06 Jan 2022 15:02:13 -0600 Trustees /news/headline/2018-02-09-reminder-aha-invitation-trustee-involvement-open-through-feb-22 <p>The AHA seeks hospital and health system trustees to serve on its Committee on Governance and Regional Policy Boards beginning in 2019. For more information and to apply through Feb. 22, <a href="http://trustees.aha.org/getinvolved/trusteeinvolvementapplication.shtml">click here</a>.<br />  </p> Fri, 09 Feb 2018 12:07:54 -0600 Trustees /news/headline/2018-01-09-aha-committee-governance-names-2018-leaders <p>David Hyman, DDS, a board director for Hartford (CT) HealthCare, will chair the AHA's 2018 Committee on Governance. Victor Orler, chair of Presence Health in Chicago, will serve as chair-elect and become chair in 2019. The COG is a specialty committee of the AHA Board of Trustees that provides input for AHA policy development and trustee initiatives, and leads effective involvement of the nation's hospital trustees in grassroots advocacy and the AHA. For more on the committee and its newly elected members, see the AHA <a href="/180109-pr-cog.shtml">news release</a>.</p> Tue, 09 Jan 2018 14:41:15 -0600 Trustees /news/headline/2016-01-20-community-leaders-trustees-make-strong-hospital-advocates <p><em>The AHA’s 28-member Committee on Governance (COG) helps mobilize trustee involvement in grassroots advocacy and provides input into AHA policies. The AHA seeks hospital and health system trustees to serve on the COG, regional policy boards, and other governing councils and committees beginning in 2017. It wants to hear from interested trustees by Feb. 24. Learn more by clicking <a href="/membercenter/trustee/index.shtml">here</a>  or contacting Rita Harmata, the AHA’s director of trustee and community leadership, at <a href="mailto:rharmata@aha.org">rharmata@aha.org</a> or 312-422-3311.</em></p> <p><em>AHA News recently talked to 2016 COG chair Margaret Wagner Dahl, a board member at WellStar Health Network in Marietta, Ga., about the role of trustees in a changing health care environment, service on the COG and trustee advocacy. </em></p> <p><strong>AHA News:</strong> <em>What is the biggest challenge facing hospital and health system trustees today?</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Dahl:</strong> Ensuring we are able to accomplish the goals of the Triple Aim – to improve the patient experience, improve the health of our community populations and reduce health care costs in a realistic way. This requires trustees to be intentional in every aspect of health care leadership that concerns patient-centered care, understanding the complexities of care coordination, clinical integration and becoming more efficient. When you realize 30% of our service are inefficiencies that can be addressed and start doing the numbers on a national level, we have a huge responsibility to sort this out.</p> <p><strong>AHA News:</strong> <em>Trustees are viewed as respected and independent voices in the community and as the hospital’s bridge to the community. How important is that credibility in gaining the community’s trust and support for its hospital?</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Dahl:</strong> Absolutely crucial. As the provider arena becomes more and more complex, trustees must be able to communicate effectively and knowledgeably about these changes in order to assure their communities they can trust what is happening. This touches all aspects of community leadership-economic development … the role of health care for employers … social justice – access and equity – and community pride in having excellent health care period.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>AHA News:</strong> <em>And how important is that independent voice and credibility in helping state and federal policymakers understand the many ways the local hospital benefits the community and in speaking up against policies that threaten health care?</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Dahl:</strong> Trustees are inherently community leaders. They understand how important it is to ensure their state and federal representatives are informed and grounded in the environment that we must operate in locally. Health care is personal, and we all have our personal experiences and stories to be told that illustrate what policies can do on that personal level. This resonates with policymakers in a way that can go far beyond a sophisticated hospital executive leadership strategy.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>AHA News:</strong> <em>How has your service on the AHA’s Committee on Governance helped you to have an impact on health care policy?</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Dahl:</strong> The ability to connect regularly with 28 trustees from across the nation who are all dealing with the transformation of health care within their own specific ecosystems is invaluable. The information sharing and the commitment to advocacy is very powerful and the ability to bring this type of information back home reinforces trustee credibility and trust within our own specific communities. But it is also rewarding to be part of the national situation and to have a voice that needs to be heard from not just the trustee perspective, but as the conduit to the health consumer living in this new world.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>AHA News:</strong> <em>Why should a hospital or health system trustee consider serving on the AHA’s Committee on Governance, Regional Policy Board or other AHA governing councils and committees?</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong><img alt="Margaret Wagner Dahl" data-entity-type="" data-entity-uuid="" height="234" src="http://news.aha.org/inc/images/ContentPhotos/Dahl.jpg" width="156" />Dahl:</strong> Because it is truly a way to have a direct impact from the trustee lay-person, real-world perspective on what is the largest and most prestigious hospital association in the country. I think the COG voices are respected and acknowledged as the part of this field that makes profound decisions every day to ensure their community’s health care is high-quality, safe and reasonable. It is an incredible responsibility and the AHA COG is our voice to be the reality-check for the AHA. But it is also a great group of people, the AHA staff who organize the COG are wonderful, so the experience is really enjoyable as well.</p> Wed, 20 Jan 2016 09:29:00 -0600 Trustees /ahahret-guides/2014-08-15-cybersecurity-and-hospitals-what-hospital-trustees-need-know-about <p>Cybersecurity vulnerabilities and intrusions pose risks for every hospital and its reputation. While there are significant benefits for care delivery and organizational efficiency from the expanded use of networked technology, Internet-enabled medical devices and electronic databases for clinical, financial and administrative operations, networked technology and greater connectivity also increase exposure to possible cybersecurity threats that require hospitals to evaluate and manage new risks.</p> <p>Hospitals can prepare and manage such risks by viewing cybersecurity not as a novel issue but rather by making it part of the hospital's existing governance, risk management and business continuity framework. Hospitals also will want to ensure that the approach they adopted remains flexible and resilient to address threats that are likely to be constantly evolving and multi-pronged.</p> <p>This is an AHA-member benefit.</p> Fri, 15 Aug 2014 00:00:00 -0500 Trustees