After a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MHA Board of Trustees held its final meeting of the 2021-2022 program year on Mackinac Island in conjunction with the MHA Annual Membership Meeting. As part of a standing agenda item focused on safety and quality lessons learned, board member Ed Ness, president and CEO, Munson Healthcare, shared examples of community and workforce resiliency exhibited by the Gaylord community and Otsego Memorial Hospital team members in the wake of the destruction caused by the recent EF3 tornado that carved a path through that community and within a block of the hospital, resulting in injury and loss of life. The board also had a strategic conversation about the most effective association engagement on matters of social and public health, health equity, financial sustainability and improving the patient experience. In all of these areas, the board stressed the importance of focusing on the mission of healthcare organizations to advance the health of patients and communities and explaining the challenges healthcare providers face in achieving this mission with specific examples. Other business included final program year reports from the committees on Behavioral Health and Public Health, with the recommendation to continue the work of these standing committees.
Current Health PAC Chair and incoming MHA Board of Trustees Chair T. Anthony Denton provided an update on the status of the 2022 MHA Health PAC campaign and encouraged eligible individuals and organizations to meet their contribution goals. Information about the MHA Health PAC is available online. The board also approved type 3 membership for BMG Money Inc., Fifth Third Bank, Vituity, and new Endorsed Business Partners AMN Language Services, B.E. Smith, HealthRise and WeLearn.
Board chair Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO, BHSH Health System, acknowledged outgoing board members Tim Johnson, president and CEO, Eaton Rapids Medical Center, and Dan Babcock, CEO, Marlette Regional Hospital and Deckerville Community Hospital. Freese Decker also recognized past chair Ed Ness for his leadership during the pandemic and wished incoming chair T. Anthony Denton, senior vice president and chief operating officer, University of Michigan Health System, well in his leadership role. For more information about actions of the MHA Board of Trustees, contact Amy Barkholz at the MHA.
The arrival of summer signifies the completion of the MHA’s program year. During this time, the association reviews our many accomplishments related to the core issues reflected in our strategic action plan. These accomplishments directly benefit not only our members, but the patients and communities that we collectively serve as well. As we went through the process this year — a year that was still heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic — a key theme resonated throughout: the MHA, and the health of our communities, is strengthened by collaboration and stakeholders working together.