AHA Stat Blog

Our country is ready, eager and hopeful this year for at least a partial return to the pre-COVID-19 world. Everyone has a role to play in getting there.

In the midst of the tragedy that is the COVID-19 pandemic, one silver lining is how it has brought us together as an organization to help us innovate and realize our vision to make Indiana one of the healthiest states in the nation.

Ingrid Johnson, R.N., works with Atlantic Health System in Morristown, New Jersey, to raise awareness of human trafficking and how health care leaders can better identify victims and properly respond. This month, the health system proudly displayed a giant banner in Atlantic’s Overlook Medical Center ED to help educate individuals and shine a light on this pervasive problem.

This year, I look forward to continuing AHA’s Leadership Rounds, short conversations on trending topics with health care leaders from around the country.

“We have much to do, much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build … and much to gain.”

When hundreds of leaders gather virtually February 17–18 for the AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, there will be opportunities for you to make, build and renew connections that help innovate and transform health care, through a pioneering approach toward conferencing.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Since it became a federal holiday in 1983, MLK Day has become widely celebrated as a day of public service for individuals, communities and organizations.

Even as we continue to address COVD-19 challenges, let’s consider the experiences of the past year, looking for lessons learned and opportunities for the future. Here are four major areas that changed during the pandemic and are likely to keep transforming health care in the year ahead.

The AHA Rural Health Care Leadership Virtual Conference and Engagement Experience – one of AHA's flagship events – will be held February 17-18. AHA Executive Vice President Michelle Hood previews the conference designed to help rural health care leaders and trustees propel the transformation to a more integrated and sustainable rural health system.

I have no doubt that Americans and people all over the world are looking forward to turning the page to a new year. The challenges the health care field encountered in 2020 due to the global pandemic have been intense both personally and professionally. But hope is growing for 2021 with the initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and much more to come. At a time when the country needs us most, hospitals and health care professionals continue to respond with excellence and compassion as we care for patients, families and communities.

Making everyone part of the solution and collaborations between clinical and hospital leadership is key to navigating the pandemic. In this third in a four-part series on lessons learned on the front lines, read about how flexibility and preparation aided Henry Ford Health System and Medisys Health Network.

Making everyone part of the solution and collaborations between clinical and hospital leadership is key to navigating the pandemic. In this second in a four-part series on lessons learned on the front lines, read about how communication remains a vital component of a strong workforce, both from the top down and bottom up.

Making everyone part of the solution and collaborations between clinical and hospital leadership is key to navigating the pandemic. In this final in a four-part series on lessons learned on the front lines, read about the importance of supporting the health care workforce, especially now.

The past 10 months have been filled with jarring and dissonant images, scenes that have prompted us to say, “never thought we’d see that in our country.” Unfortunately, we now have to add yesterday’s storming of the U.S. Capitol and assault on our democracy to that mix.  

Rod Hochman, M.D., is trained as a rheumatologist and immunologist. He started his health care career as a clinical fellow in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dartmouth Medical School and went into practice at the Guthrie Clinic in Pennsylvania.

For 50 weeks this year, this Friday column has tracked the ups and downs, the triumphs and the setbacks of the most heroic chapter in the history of America’s hospitals and health systems.

Dallas-based Parkland Health and Hospital System brings physical and behavioral health together by integrating suicide risk screenings in all patient visits, write the AHA’s Elisa Arespacochaga, vice president of the Physician Alliance, and Rebecca Chickey, senior director of Behavioral Health Services, field engagement. Read more about a webinar and three new podcasts discussing Parkland’s learnings in this endeavor.

It was not at all the year I expected, and it certainly wasn’t the year any of us wanted. But, through it all, I continually found inspiration. Even now in the uncertainty of what 2021 will bring, I’m reassured knowing that no matter what, the teams who power our hospitals and health systems across America are continuing the fight against COVID-19.

Sunday night’s 60 Minutes story was not a balanced view of the current health care landscape as it relates to hospital prices and provider and insurer consolidation.

This year has been unlike any other in our lifetimes. As health care providers, we are always ready to run toward the challenge, to become a place of refuge and heal our communities. None of this is new, but this year has stretched our ability to do this and ensure our own resiliency.