Tag: John Karasinski

Rural Health Highlights MHA Media Coverage

Member News, MHA In The News

The MHA received media coverage during the week of Nov. 17 covering the Rural Health Transformation Program, the MHA’s Community Impact Report and medical debt.

Bridge published a story Nov. 19 on the Rural Health Transformation Program application submitted by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The article covers the lack of specific focus on rural hospitals in the application, as well as the challenges facing rural hospitals, particularly following the federal H.R. 1 Reconciliation Bill. MHA Executive Vice President Laura Appel is quoted in the article, as well as members of the MHA’s Rural Health Transformation Program Task Force.

“There is nothing here. There was an opportunity to direct as much as 10% of Michigan’s funding towards health care services delivered in hospitals and none of that happened,” said Appel.

The story was also highlighted by The Washington Post in the publication’s Nov. 21 daily newsletter.

Other coverage during the week included a Gongwer article on the MHA’s 2025 Community Impact report, as well as stories from Crain’s Grand Rapids and Michigan Public on medical debt legislation.

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

9&10 News: Rising insurance rates threaten healthcare access in Northern Michigan

Member News, MHA In The News

9&10 News aired a story Nov. 11 about how health insurance rate increases will lead to lower health insurance enrollment, harming healthcare access.

MHA CEO Brian Peters is quoted in the story expressing the need to protect existing healthcare coverage tools, such as the enhanced premium tax credits.

“We cannot afford to do any more damage to what is already a fragile healthcare ecosystem in the state of Michigan,” said Peters.

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

Peters Expresses Value of Hospitals While Insurance Premiums Rise

Member News, MHA In The News

The MHA received media coverage during the week of Oct. 27 as MHA CEO Brian Peters discussed the value of hospitals in light of rising insurance premiums.

MIRS published a story Oct. 30 looking at the cost drivers of increasing insurance rates, interviewing several healthcare and association leaders. Peters mentioned the various costs that have increased for hospitals that are necessary to continue to provide accessible and quality services to patients, including labor, drugs, infrastructure and medical liability.

Peters also shared how “a relatively unhealthy population” showing up with “inadequate health insurance” leads to higher utilization and costs in the system.

Gongwer and The Detroit News published articles Oct. 31 on the topic as well, following approval of the 2026 health insurance rate change requests by the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Peters highlighted the importance of extending the enhanced premium tax credits at the federal level.

“If the Affordable Care Act passage has proved anything, it’s that we can do a much better job of dealing with these health care challenges if people have coverage, and it’s good coverage, meaning not skinny plans, where you’ve got enormous co-pays and deductibles,” said Peters to The Detroit News.

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

FREEP Op-Ed: Access to Care is a Promise — and Hospitals Are Keeping It

Member News, MHA In The News

The Detroit Free Press published an op-ed Oct. 21 from MHA CEO Brian Peters that affirms the commitment of hospitals to patients and shares the actions hospitals are taking to keep costs low for patients. Those include moving care to more affordable settings, using lower-cost medication alternatives when appropriate, improving care coordination and expanding the behavioral health workforce.

Peters highlights the cost pressures impacting hospitals, including the rise in prescription drug costs, labor and inflation. He also discusses how public reimbursements routinely fail to cover the cost of that care and the issues it can cause to access to healthcare services when combined with rising costs.

“We’re the backbone of access: the nurse at the bedside at 3 a.m., the surgical team on call, the therapist helping a child walk again. Michigan hospital teams will keep showing up with compassion and professionalism,” Peters said.

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

Hospital Communicators Gather at MHA Communications Retreat

Member News
Attendees at the 2025 MHA Communications Retreat on Oct. 1, 2025, gather in a lecture hall for small group discussions. Participants are seated in clusters, reviewing papers, taking notes, and collaborating in an interactive session.
Attendees during the 2025 MHA Communications Retreat on Oct. 1, 2025.

The 2025 MHA Communications Retreat brought together about 100 communications, marketing and public relations professionals from MHA-member facilities Oct. 1 to network and learn from peers across the state. The agenda featured sessions on reputation management and crisis communications.

The event began with a communications alignment activity, followed by state and federal healthcare updates from Laura Appel, executive vice president of government relations and public policy, MHA. She outlined how hospital leaders and communications teams can navigate new challenges in the evolving healthcare landscape and emphasized the importance of uplifting messaging that tells the hospital story.

Tim McIntyrce, an experienced communicator and former Domino’s Pizza executive, dived into reputation management, drawing parallels between his experience and the issues hospitals face today.

A panel discussion was conducted on crisis communications, focusing on lessons from past healthcare crises and strategies for working with and leveraging media relationships. Jeff Gaunt, founder and principal of Gaunt Strategies, moderated the panel comprised of Catherine Dewey, regional marketing communications manager, Munson Healthcare, and Mark Geary, senior director, communications & external affairs, Corewell Health.

The event concluded with an interactive tabletop exercise led by Gaunt. The session highlighted best practices in crisis communications using real-world examples and emphasized the importance of speed, accuracy, empathy, transparency and accountability. Attendees left with a first-hour checklist, templates and an action plan to help strengthen crisis communication readiness within 30 days.

The event was sponsored by  Bellwether Public Relations, MHA Data Services (Community Benefits Tracker), KU Audio Production and MHA Print & Graphic Services. Members seeking more information and resources from the event may contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

Media Recap: State Budget & Vaccines

MHA In The News, Member News

The MHA received media coverage the week of Sept. 1 on the state budget and COVID-19 vaccines.

Several news outlets published stories related to the harmful impacts to healthcare found in the state budget bill passed by the Michigan House of Representatives.

Adam Carlson9&10 News aired a story Sept. 2 that includes an interview with Adam Carlson, senior vice president, advocacy, MHA, explaining the cuts found in the bill.

“It includes billions of dollars in cuts that impact things like maternal health care payments to physicians and all sorts of other healthcare related cuts that are completely unnecessary,” said Carlson.

The MHA issued a press release Sept. 3 sharing the House version of the budget endangers 20,000 hospital jobs and a $4.9 billion economic loss to the state. This led to a critical reaction from the House Speaker, resulting in stories from The Detroit News and Gongwer. A MHA media statement shared responding to the Speaker’s criticism was released that evening.

“We will not be bullied away from defending our patients. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting healthcare access throughout Michigan,” said Peters in the statement, that was included in the Gongwer story.

Lastly, Bridge published an article Sept. 4 providing information on how to access the COVID-19 vaccine. The MHA provided a comment for the story from Gary Roth, DO, chief medical officer, MHA.

“Our role is to support hospitals in their efforts to increase overall vaccination uptake and avoid the spread of vaccine preventable diseases, as the evidence is indisputable that vaccines are the best tool available to prevent severe illness and save lives,” said Roth.

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

2025 Communications Retreat Qualifies for APR CEU Credit

Member News

Registration remains open for the 2025 MHA Communications Retreat scheduled Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Henry Center for Executive Development in Lansing. The retreat qualifies for one continuing education unit (CEU) for members with Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) under Category 1A, which may be self-reported through the PRSA online portal.

The lineup of presenters and topics for the 2025 Communications Retreat includes:

  • Tim McIntyre, experienced communicator and former Domino’s Pizza executive, who will share insights on reputation management, drawing parallels between his experiences and the issues hospitals face today, including rebuilding trust, creating transparency and simplifying the patient experience.
  • A crisis communication panel will feature MHA members, including Catherine Dewey, regional marketing communications manager, Munson Healthcare; Mark Geary, senior director, communications & external affairs, Corewell Health, and will highlight lessons learned from past crises in healthcare. The session will be led by crisis communications expert Jeff Gaunt, founder and principal of Gaunt Strategies, who will also facilitate a tabletop simulation where attendees respond to an incident in real time.
  • Laura Appel, executive vice president, government relations & public policy, MHA, will provide an update on state and federal healthcare priorities.

This event is designed specifically for professionals working in public relations, communications, media relations, marketing and community relations within Michigan hospitals.

Additional event details and registration information is available on the 2025 Communications Retreat webpage.

Members with questions regarding registration should contact Kennedy Walters at the MHA. Questions regarding the retreat should be directed to John Karasinski at the MHA.

 

Headline Roundup: House Budget Reaction

Member News, MHA In The News

The MHA received a host of media coverage from across the state during the week of Aug. 25 after the MHA issued a media statement reacting to the state budget bill passed Aug. 26 by the Michigan House of Representatives.

House Bill 4706 would institute several harmful changes to hospital funding, which could result in more than 20,000 job losses in Michigan hospitals. The statement from MHA CEO Brian Peters expressed the MHA’s strong opposition to this version of the state budget, expressing the harmful consequences it would bring and the need for a state budget that protects existing hospital funding.

Friday, Aug. 29

Thursday, Aug. 28

Wednesday, Aug. 27

Tuesday, Aug. 26

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.

Speakers Announced for 2025 Communications Retreat

Member News

The MHA has confirmed speakers and topics for the 2025 MHA Communications Retreat scheduled Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Henry Center for Executive Development in Lansing.

The lineup features:

  • Tim McIntyre, experienced communicator and former Domino’s Pizza executive, who will share insights on reputation management, drawing parallels between his experiences and the issues hospitals face today, including rebuilding trust, creating transparency and simplifying the patient experience.
  • A crisis communication panel will feature MHA members, including Catherine Dewey, regional marketing communications manager, Munson Healthcare, and will highlight lessons learned from past crises in healthcare. The session will be led by crisis communications expert Jeff Gaunt, founder and principal of Gaunt Strategies, who will also facilitate a tabletop simulation where attendees respond to an incident in real time. Additional speakers will be announced as they’re confirmed.
  • Laura Appel, executive vice president, government relations & public policy, MHA, will provide an update on state and federal healthcare priorities.

This event is designed specifically for professionals working in public relations, communications, media relations, marketing and community relations within Michigan hospitals. We encourage members of these professions to register and participate.

Additional event details, including registration information, are available on the 2025 Communications Retreat webpage.

Members with questions regarding registration should contact Kennedy Walters at the MHA. Questions regarding the retreat should be directed to John Karasinski at the MHA.

Media Recap: Medicaid and Healthcare Costs

Member News, Issues in Healthcare, MHA In The News

The MHA received media coverage during the week of Aug. 18 that continued to focus on the impact the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will have on Medicaid as well as comments related to the impact hospital consolidations have on healthcare access.

Gongwer published a story Aug. 20 on the impact hospital consolidations have on healthcare costs and access to care for employees. MHA CEO Brian Peters was quoted in the article disputing the claim that hospitals are profiteers.

“Bashing community hospitals and the 220,000 hospital workers who show up every day of the year to care for Michigan patients is misguided and inflammatory,” said Peters. “Hospitals are focused on providing safe, high-quality, affordable care in every community they serve.”

NPR also published a story following an interview with Peters regarding the impact the OBBBA and new work requirements will have on healthcare in Michigan.

“The state of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that as many as 700,000 Michiganders could lose coverage because of the reconciliation bill,” said Peters.

The new work requirements will necessitate that hundreds of thousands of enrollees document their eligibility every six months. Peters noted in the interview that there’s no evidence of widespread waste and abuse in the state’s Medicaid program.

“When you look at the Medicaid population here in the state of Michigan, we know that almost all of those folks are working and working full time,” said Peters.

Members with any questions regarding media requests should contact John Karasinski at the MHA.