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A Note from the Chairman
The 81st session of the Texas Legislature is winding down, and Texas health care advocates soon will be focusing on the bigger picture – health care reform on the national level. This is a time of great change and hospitals must have a voice in the process. One of the most effective ways to gain this influential access is through HOSPAC.
The 2009 fundraising campaign is well underway, and I want to personally thank all who have stepped up to the plate so far. Already, members of the HOSPAC Board of Directors, the Texas Hospital Association Board of Trustees and other well-informed hospital leaders have contributed or pledged more than $100,000 to help HOSPAC reach its goal of raising $267,000. Let’s keep up the pace – if you have not contributed please do so today, and encourage your hospital colleagues and trustees to read this newsletter, too! (It’s available online, so send them the link: http://www.hospac.org/notes/MayC00J.asp.)
Many thanks to each of you who took the time to complete HOSPAC’s online survey this spring. We learned a lot from both contributors and non-contributors, and these findings will help guide HOSPAC’s board and staff in the coming year. We appreciate your support. Have a great summer!
Steve Sanders,
Chairman, HOSPAC Board of Directors
Serving with Sanders is a 32-member HOSPAC Board of Directors
Texas Legislative Session Wrapping Up
Though action was stalled earlier this week in the Texas House, the 81st Texas Legislature is wrapping up its work in Austin and will adjourn sine die on June 1. A number of the Texas Hospital Association’s priority issues were addressed – all of which will be recapped in a special edition of the e-newsletter to be distributed on June 2. Watch your inbox or THA’s Web site for this comprehensive overview of key legislative action impacting hospitals.
In addition, HOSPAC members are invited to participate in a special THA Member Connection conference call scheduled for 10 a.m. (Central) on June 3. THA President/CEO Dan Stultz and the advocacy team will update you on the just-completed legislative session and how hospitals’ priority issues fared. You’ll also have an opportunity to ask questions. To participate, follow these steps:
- Dial the Conference Access Number: 866/551-3680
- Enter your PARTICIPANT PIN Code followed by the # sign: 8143216#
- At the prompt, record the required details: Your Name and Organization
- You will be placed on hold until the call begins.
A reminder about the call, as well as a link to the PowerPoint presentation, will be included in the June 2 issue of the Capitol Update. If you are unable to participate, the call will be recorded and available for download on THA’s Web site at a later date.
HOSPAC Goes to Washington
Several HOSPAC members and Texas Hospital Association leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., in April to attend the American Hospital Association’s Annual Membership Meeting and to visit with members of the Texas Congressional Delegation.
“Barack Obama was elected president because Americans want change,” noted Dan Stultz, M.D., FACP, FACHE, president/chief executive officer of the Texas Hospital Association. “Health care reform is a priority for the Obama administration, and Congress seems poised to act. Hospitals need to be part of the solution, and THA will work with
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U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), center, met with, from left to right: Ed Berger, HOSPAC Millennium Leader and vice president of advocacy and government relations at Seton Family of Hospitals in Austin; Bill Rasco, HOSPAC Chairman’s Club member and president of the Greater San Antonio Hospital Council; Pat Wallace, FACHE, HOSPAC Millennium Leader and administrator of East Texas Medical Center Athens; Jim Summersett III, FACHE, HOSPAC Millennium Leader and president/chief executive officer of Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco; Barclay Berdan, FACHE, HOSPAC Ambassador, THA chairman and senior executive vice president of Texas Health Resources in Arlington; Michael Williams, FACHE, HOSPAC Ambassador, THA chairman-elect and president/CEO of Community Hospital Corporation in Plano; Dan Stultz, M.D., FACP, FACHE, HOSPAC Ambassador and THA president/CEO; Tucker Bonner, FACHE, HOSPAC Ambassador and senior consultant of public affairs at Community Hospital Corporation in Plano; and Richard E. Dennis, HOSPAC Century Club member and board member at Palo Pinto General Hospital in Mineral Wells. |
the Texas delegation to help guide the effort to restructure the delivery and financing system.”
Stultz and other Texas health care advocates met with Texas Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. Stultz and other THA/HOSPAC members also met with Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Waco), who has been a strong advocate for hospitals throughout his tenure.
HOSPAC also was proud to see two of its members honored at AHA’s meeting. HOSPAC board member and past chairman Don Beeler, FACHE, president/CEO of CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health Care in San Antonio, was recognized as a 2009 AHA Grassroots Champion (see the March issue of HOSPAC Notes for more details), and HOSPAC Ambassador member Tucker Bonner, FACHE, senior consultant for public affairs for Community Hospital Corporation of Plano and a member of the AHA Board of Trustees, was named 2009 steering committee chairman for the AHA Political Action Committee (AHAPAC).
A Home Run for HOSPAC: Rangers beat the Mariners as HOSPAC kicks off 2009 campaign!
Keri Disney and Jim Blasingame of Parkland Health & Hospital System enjoy a birds’ eye view of the game during HOSPAC’s May 12 Leadership Reception at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
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HOSPAC’s kick-off reception for its 2009 Annual Campaign was held May 12 at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The event was hosted by HOSPAC President’s Council Business Associate member Sterling Barnett Little, Inc., at its office suite overlooking the baseball field.
This event was a win-win for all in attendance! The Rangers beat the Mariners 7-1, and HOSPAC members and their guests heard important updates on national health care reform efforts and an overview of legislative action occurring at the state level in Austin.
More than 50 Texas health care leaders were there, including: Michael Arvin, senior vice president/chief development officer, Methodist Health System; Joel Ballew, director of government affairs, Texas Health Resources; Anna Barber, director of regional services, Baylor Health Care System; Leslie Barden , senior vice president of planning and marketing, Methodist Health System; Charles Barnett, president/CEO, Seton Family of Hospitals; Michael Barnett, AIA, principal, Sterling Barnett Little; Barclay Berdan, FACHE, senior executive vice president, Texas Health Resources; Jim Blasingame, associate director of government relations, Parkland Health & Hospital System; Tucker Bonner, FACHE, senior consultant for public affairs, Community Hospital Corporation; Kellye Bowers, principal, Sterling Barnett Little; Steve Cobb, health care market leader, The Trane Company; Bradford Davis, vice president/chief medical officer, Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital; Keri Disney, director of government reimbursement, Parkland Health & Hospital System; Laurie English, president, Texas region, Texas HealthSouth Hospitals; Rex Everett, vice president, TeamHealth; Kirk King, president, Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital; Jessica Knox, chief executive officer, HealthSouth Hospital of Arlington; James Little, AIA, principal, Sterling Barnett Little; Steve Love, chief executive officer, Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council; Michael Manion, regional director of business development, TeamHealth; Brett McClung, FACHE, president, Texas Health Harris Methodist Southwest; Jon McPike, chief executive officer, HealthSouth Hospital of Fort Worth; Michelle Raczynski, communications director, Dallas Fort-Worth Hospital Council; David Tesmer, senior vice president of advocacy and community benefit, Texas Health Resources; Michael Waters, FACHE, senior health care consultant; Michael Williams, FACHE, president/CEO, Community Hospital Corporation; and many others.
Next Leadership Reception: Aug. 6 in Austin
Mark your calendar for HOSPAC’s next Leadership Reception: Aug. 6 at the Renaissance Hotel in Austin. This event, which will feature a special legislative guest, is being held in conjunction with the Texas Healthcare Trustees’ Annual Conference. Watch your mail and inbox for more details.
Be sure to make your HOSPAC leadership level contribution or pledge soon so that your name can be listed on the Leadership Recognition Displays at this event. For your convenience, you can make your 2009 contribution online at any time.
Fundraising Update
HOSPAC members are working to raise funds to achieve the 2009 goal of $267,000. Visit www.HOSPAC.org or call HOSPAC Director Lisa Kepple at 512/465-1047 for more information on how you can join your colleagues to help HOSPAC reach its goal.
Contributions and Pledges as of May 19:*
| Overall: |
$117,827 (44% of $267,000 goal) |
| State PAC: |
$ 69,922 (58% of $121,000 goal) |
| Federal PAC: |
$ 44,905 (37% of $121,000 goal) |
| CORP PAC: |
$ 3,000 (12% of $25,000 goal) |
*Most recent date pledges/deposits received prior to publication.
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