Healthcare is a reflection of the communities we serve, and 2021 was a roller-coaster year for everyone. But the disruptions we all faced at home and work over the past 12 months highlighted the importance, the fortitude and the perseverance of our front-line caregivers and everyone who supports them. Many of the challenges we faced were new and required strong and resilient leadership.
When I assumed the role of ACHE’s Chair at this time last year, it was serendipitous my journey with Kaiser Permanente was also beginning. As the new Northern California president, I was learning the organization and its culture, while also working to support a team facing some of the most challenging times in their careers, both personally and professionally. At the same time, I was focusing on the future and how we could elevate virtual care to best meet the needs of patients.
All of ACHE’s members—and the organization itself—were on a similar journey. This required ACHE leadership to think about how ACHE could transform itself to not only meet the rapid changes happening in the world, but also anticipate how it needed to evolve over the next three years to continue to be a valuable resource and professional home for its membership.
Vital to our rethinking has been listening to our members and understanding not only what people are going through professionally but also how they are faring as individuals. What we heard members tell us is they didn’t feel comfortable coming to events in person, so ACHE’s amazing, talented team shifted to an all-virtual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which had 9,200 attendees—more than double the normal conference registration. The turnout highlighted the incredible appetite for education and shared experiences. In addition to taking Congress online, ACHE made sure critical education opportunities were at the fingertips of members and nonmembers through podcasts and multiple, free online sessions.
One of the most wonderful things about Congress has always been seeing colleagues in person and the hallway conversations, where billion-dollar deals and lifelong friendships are made. Though during the virtual event we didn’t share the hallways in a physical sense, a feeling of belonging still flourished through a chat feature, where people could say hello from around the world and had the opportunity for online social networking.
I’m proud of how the shift toward an online presence has helped continue to make ACHE the professional home for so many—connecting you to the greater community and giving you a sense of belonging to your profession. I’m also delighted by how ACHE has led in providing critical education and sharing of best practices and lessons learned from leaders across the country and around the globe over the past year.
The pandemic gave us a unique opportunity to reflect and challenge the traditional norms that are no longer serving us and, as we look to the future, determine what we need to do differently to continue to meet our members’ needs. I am excited about ACHE’s work toward diversity, equity and inclusion. We held 10 DEI sessions at Congress last year, with over 10,000 session participants. Our Executive Diversity Career Navigator has had nearly 30,000 page views to date, local chapters have held 61 DEI virtual programs in 2021, and our LGBTQ and Asian Healthcare Leaders Communities have grown to 351 and 405 members, respectively.
In addition, the Thomas C. Dolan Executive Diversity Program expanded from six to 11 scholars per year, and we have awarded three unique scholarships, totaling over $700,000 given to 140 recipients since 2014.
I’m confident that with our collective focus, we can continue to evolve how we support our membership and the value of ACHE. No doubt, we’ve always known the value of working together, but the pandemic and lessons from the past year have reinforced the importance of our strength in numbers.
Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, is regional president, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, and on March 26 becomes the 2022–2023 Immediate Past Chair of ACHE.