ACHE Member Update
Interim Regent Appointed
D. Christopher Whybrew, FACHE, president, Longevity Health Plan of Oklahoma, Tulsa, has been appointed Interim Regent for Oklahoma.
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ACHE Members Chosen as AHA Next Generation Fellows
Five ACHE members are among the 34 emerging hospital and health system leaders who will participate in the inaugural class of the American Hospital Association’s Next Generation Leaders Fellowship. During the 12-month fellowship program, participants will hone essential skills such as expanding on innovation capacity, driving organizational change and digital transformation, and leading the shift from healthcare to well care. They are:
Nancy Ban, vice president, operations, Central Maine Healthcare, Lewiston, Maine
Scott Just, MD, president, Augusta Medical Group, Augusta Health, Fishersville, Va.
Catherine L. Larsen, manager, value-based care and ambulatory quality, Kalispell (Mont.) Regional Healthcare
Blake Lindley, system director, planning and market intelligence, Edward-Elmhurst Health, Naperville, Ill.
Lisa M. Moore, vice president, clinical services and government relations, Cottage Health, Santa Barbara, Calif.
COVID-19 Member News
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our communities, ACHE has been regularly sharing news about our members on the front lines fighting the novel coronavirus and the disease caused by it, COVID-19. We would like to thank them and all healthcare professionals who are serving and leading during the pandemic.
Some Hospitals Now Better Prepared for a Potential Surge
Some hospital leaders say they are now better positioned to handle a surge in hospitalizations related to COVID-19 than they were earlier in the pandemic. For example, Russell W. Johnson, FACHE, president/CEO, LMH Health, Lawrence, Kan., told the Lawrence Journal World that his hospital is “absolutely” better prepared to handle an influx of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 than it was several months ago. He notes that his hospital has seen a “significant” increase in positive tests as surrounding communities reopen.
Similarly, Charles H. Sherwin, FACHE, president, MidMichigan Medical Center-Alpena, in the same article, said his hospital is also better prepared to handle a potential increase in COVID-19 patients. He notes that had the hospital seen a surge early on, it would not have been as ready.
Adapting to Survive the Pandemic and Beyond in Rural California
Shasta Cascade Health Centers, a federally qualified health system in McCloud, Calif., has had to strategically adapt not only to survive the pandemic but also as a healthcare provider in a rural area. These adaptations have included downsizing some departments and restructuring others, as well as making operational changes to the organization’s work and clinical flow to cater to the community’s current needs, Miku Sodhi, MD, FACMPE, deputy CEO, told Healthcare Executive.
Additionally, the organization’s clinics have begun using telehealth for primary and mental healthcare and e-consults for specialty care. Sodhi hopes the federal government will continue supporting virtual patient visits by allowing comprehensive reimbursement beyond COVID-19, as this is “vital” for the survival of rural health systems.
Report Illuminates Health and Socioeconomic Disparities in D.C.
Approximately three-quarters of the deaths associated with COVID-19 in the nation’s capital have been among the Black community, according to a report co-authored by Christopher J. King, PhD, FACHE, chair of the Department of Health Systems Administration at the School of Nursing & Health Studies, Georgetown University Medical Center.
Health Disparities in the Black Community: An Imperative for Racial Equity in the District of Columbia is a publication of the School of Nursing & Health Studies. King is the report’s lead author.
ACHE is grateful to these members and so many others for the commendable battle they have waged against the pandemic.
To read more about these stories and others, visit “COVID-19 Member News”.
ACHE Staff Update
ACHE Announces Staff Hire and Promotions Following is a new ACHE staff member and current employees who recently were promoted:
Mardel A. Ahleong to vice president, Human Resources, Department of Business Excellence, from director, Human Resources
Patricia O. Bonsu to project manager, Department of Executive Engagement
Anita J. Halvorsen, FACHE, to senior vice president, Department of Executive Engagement, from vice president, Department of Professional Development
Postgraduate Fellow Announced
Ishmeet Kumar has been selected as the Stuart A. Wesbury Jr. Postgraduate Fellow. Kumar graduated in December 2019 with a master’s degree in health administration from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Fla.
The yearlong fellowship offers exposure to a broad range of association management issues.
The fellow interacts with senior-level executives and rotates through each of ACHE’s departments.
The fellowship was established in 1991 to further postgraduate education in healthcare and professional society management.