The MHA Board of Trustees held its final meeting of the 2025-26 program year June 24 during the MHA Annual Membership Meeting. The meeting began with a presentation by board member Beth Charlton, President & CEO, Covenant Healthcare, Saginaw, that highlighted several examples within her health system that offered opportunities to advance patient safety and quality and to affirm a culture of safety.
Board members received a state legislative briefing on the status of House Bills 6116-6119, which would establish a hospital cost review board and create new health facility consolidation measures. The board urged hospitals to contact their lawmakers immediately to ask them to oppose these bills and to explain how these government price controls will harm their hospitals and jeopardize their communities’ access to care if the bills become law. Members may reference talking points and bill summaries to help guide conversations with lawmakers.
Jonathan Martin, bureau chief and senior political columnist, POLITICO, joined the board as a guest speaker. He shared insights on the current political environment in Washington and how the rise of social media algorithms has fueled identity politics. Martin also emphasized that face-to-face conversations with lawmakers remain the most effective way to diffuse partisanship and create better policy solutions.
The board held annual corporate meetings for four MHA-affiliated entities: the MHA Service Corporation, the MHA Keystone Center, the MHA Health Foundation and the newly formed MHA Center of Rural Excellence. The MHA Executive Committee approved membership applications from First Financial Bank, Inhospital Physicians and Pioneer Specialty Hospitals. Members with questions about the actions of the MHA Board of Trustees may contact Amy Barkholz at the MHA.