Over the weekend, CBS News aired an important and timely segment examining the challenges millions of Americans face in accessing health care services due to insurance companies denying coverage for necessary tests and treatments.
SACRAMENTO (January 13, 2026) — Julie Sprengel, President of Dignity Health California, a member of CommonSpirit Health, has been elected 2026 chair of the California Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees. Sprengel, who joined Dignity Health in 2016 as the then-Southern California Service Area SVP, now leads one of California’s largest not-for-profit health systems. In her role as head of the largest region within CommonSpirit, Sprengel oversees 45,000 employees and 15,000 physicians working at 29 acute care hospitals and more than 250 ambulatory care sites across the state.
The topics covered in the Emergency Management Principles and Practices curriculum are vital for enhancing hospital planning efforts. These principles are essential for coordinating efforts among various agencies and ensuring a unified approach to crisis management.
This presentation describes the role of an Emergency Management Coordinator and lists their primary responsibilities. The session describes the components of an Emergency Management Program (EMP) and prepares the reader to evaluate an Emergency Operations Plan utilizing the CHA EMP Checklist tool.
The Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services require that health care entities maintain “all-hazard” emergency preparedness and response capability and capacity. Leveraging virtual reality (VR) as a training modality for emergency management training holds great promise as an effective, realistic, immersive, and scalable health care training strategy.
This session discussed adult learning theory, emergency management training challenges and strategies, and how virtual reality provides an efficient alternative to traditional training methods.
2022 Disaster Conference – Best Practice Showcase
This new look at emergency management focuses on stressors and their impacts, and addresses how (and why) the culture of stoicism should change to improve performance, resilience, and increase success for healthcare workers. The tool details how applying neuroscience to crisis management and leadership can reduce stress and burnout, improve organizational resilience, and build long-term peak performance.