“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford
This is my first message to the California hospital field in my new role as President & CEO of the California Hospital Association, and I’m going to start with a confession.
I’m doing something I loathe: using a lot of personal pronouns.
That will fade, to be sure, but in this first message, there are some important things to say that require a few more “I”s than I’m typically comfortable with. At heart, I know this is a team sport, and none of us can do anything without our colleagues, partners, and friends.
First, I want to thank the members of the CHA Board for trusting me to lead the association and, in turn, help nearly 400 hospitals in California navigate one of the most turbulent periods in modern health care. The challenges are real and are significant. From federal Medicaid cuts to state policies that continue to choke access and make care less affordable, our work is cut out for us.
Second, I want to thank the entire hospital field for all you do every day to serve your patients and your communities. When someone comes through your doors, it is often on one of the hardest days of their life, and you are there for them. That incredible work is why I have spent nearly 25 years supporting hospitals and why I continue to wake up every day filled with purpose and energy. You have been and continue to be, literally, the difference between life and death for countless families across our state.
Finally, I want to share a couple of thoughts on the work ahead as we strive to create an environment where hospital care is not diminished and can continue to care for every Californian in need.
The work will be hard, to be sure, but the challenges are not insurmountable, and we start from a position of strength. Our state and federal policymakers know the value of hospitals. They call you directly when their loved ones are sick or injured. They know what a hospital means to a community, and what it means when one is lost.
It is our job, together, to keep telling that story. To reinforce, time and again, why hospitals are special, and what it means for people when they are not there. We will do that together, and our collective voice will be impossible to ignore.
Excelling at this work rests on the foundational relationships we have with one another. I look forward to strengthening the connections I already have in Northern and Central California and to building new ones across Southern California, including San Diego and Imperial counties.
