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AHA Recognizes Member-Led Organizations During Leadership Summit

Four organizations led by Fellows of the American College of Healthcare Executives were among those recognized during the American Hospital Association’s July 2024 Leadership Summit in San Diego. Recipients were recognized with the following prizes and awards:

Equity of Care Award

The AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity awarded the 2024 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award to the following ACHE member-led organizations: 

Main Line Health, Radnor, Pa., led by president/CEO John J. “Jack” Lynch III, FACHE, was selected as the 2024 Equity of Care Award, Transforming Winner. This award recognizes a hospital that is implementing strategies to influence equity in the surrounding community ecosystem.

August Health, Fishersville, Va., led by president/CEO Mary N. Mannix, FACHE, was selected as the 2024 Equity of Care, Emerging Winner. This award recognizes a hospital that is leveraging the Health Equity Roadmap resources to dismantle structural barriers in its care delivery system and the communities it serves.

AnMed, Anderson, S.C., led by president/CEO, William Kenley, FACHE, was selected as the 2024 Equity of Care, Small/Rural Hospital Excellence Award Winner. This award recognizes a hospital or health system that has demonstrated excellence in advancing health equity in rural or small communities.

The Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award annually recognizes outstanding efforts among hospitals and health systems to advance equity of care to all patients and to spread lessons learned and progress toward diversity, inclusion and health equity.

Fellow Named AHA Board Chair-Elect Designate 

The American Hospital Association Board of Trustees elected Marc L. Boom, MD, FACHE, president/CEO, Houston Methodist, Texas, as its Chair-Elect Designate. Boom will be Chair-Elect in 2025 and become the 2026 Chair of the AHA. Currently a member of the AHA Board of Trustees, Boom serves on AHA’s Health Systems Committee. Boom has been a member of ACHE since 1997, earning a Senior-Level Regent Award in 2016.

 

 

Remembering Chuck Stokes, Former ACHE Chair 1953–2024

 

When Charles D. “Chuck” Stokes, FACHE, became Chair of ACHE in 2017, he told Healthcare Executive that what attracted him to the healthcare profession came during his first job in the field as an orderly at the local hospital in Yazoo City, Miss.

“Our small community hospital offered me the opportunity to spend time in the operating room, and I became very interested in the field of anesthesia,” he said. 

After discussing his interest with the family physician and an RN, Stokes applied to nursing school to pursue a career as a CRNA. “I worked my way through nursing school as a surgical technician and critical care technician.”

Stokes, who passed away July 23, is remembered as a relentless servant leader and a beloved colleague and friend to many. 
“He was authentic and transparent,” said Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, president/CEO, ACHE. 

“In practice and focus, he believed that making a meaningful contribution is the best reward of all. He never gave up on anyone or anything.” 

David L. Callender, MD, president and CEO, Memorial Hermann Health, Houston, where Stokes retired in 2019 as its president and CEO, said Stokes was a vital part of the health system, working “tirelessly to establish a culture of high reliability, innovation and transformation.” 

Under Stokes’ leadership, Memorial Hermann earned regional and national accolades in patient safety, high-quality care and operational excellence, including the prestigious Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for performance excellence, which was awarded to Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital in 2016. 

In addition, North Mississippi Medical Center also received the Baldrige award in 2006 while he was president. 

“I knew and admired Chuck long before I came to Memorial Hermann, and he has been a good friend to me in the years since he left the system,” said Callender in a statement. “He … had style, warmth and wit.”

In addition to serving as Chair-Elect and Immediate Past Chair with ACHE, Stokes was also a Governor from 2014–2016. He was selected as ACHE’s Gold Medal Award winner in 2020-2021, the highest honor bestowed by ACHE on outstanding leaders who have made significant contributions to the healthcare profession. 

The nomination packet recommending Stokes for the Gold Medal Award read in part that he “contributed to the advancement of the profession through the example he has set in servant leadership, his focus on exemplary care delivery and his outstanding performance in the promotion of health services. He has succeeded in inspiring creativity, engendering support, and fostering an environment that values out-of-the box thinking and dedication to professional development. He has repeatedly guided organizations toward patient care excellence, and he has an unwavering commitment to create a healthier Houston.”

Stokes began his affiliation with ACHE in 1981 as a Student Associate when he was in graduate school. He became a Member and then earned his FACHE® in 1999. 

Stokes, who was a longtime COO for Memorial Hermann before becoming its president and CEO, taught the COO Boot Camp at the Congress on Healthcare Leadership for 10 years, and he was one of the founding faculty members of the Senior Executive and Executive Programs. 

In his Chair profile in the March/April 2017 issue of Healthcare Executive, Stokes said, “One of the most important lessons I learned as a nurse is the patient is the center of the healthcare universe. I also learned that if you take great care of your employees, treat your medical staff with respect, and provide patients with high-quality and safe care and an exceptional patient experience, the financials usually take care of themselves, and you will have the resources to continue to grow your organization.”

Stokes was most recently executive in residence at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. He resided in Huntsville, Ala., and is survived by his wife, Judy, and three sons.

 

Leaders in Action

To promote the many benefits of membership, the following ACHE leaders spoke recently at these in-person and virtual events: 

Michele K. Sutton, FACHE
Chair-Elect
2024 THEF (Triangle Healthcare Executives’ Forum of North Carolina) Summer Soirée
(June 2024)

William P. Santulli, FACHE
Chair
Hawaii Pacific Chapter Annual Meeting
Honolulu, Hawaii
(July 2024)

 

ACHE Staff News

Following are new hire announcements.

Dean Golemis welcomed as editor, Department of Professional Development.

Dave Hagan welcomed as assistant director, infrastructure, Business Excellence.

Kimberli House welcomed as customer service representative, Customer Service Center, Department of Executive Engagement.

Mary Kelly welcomed as senior manager, content acquisitions, Department of Professional Development.

Jennifer Seebock welcomed as senior copywriter, Communications and Marketing.