A Voice for Those Who Care  November 2009 Care. Vote. Contribute. IN THIS ISSUE:    A Note from the Chairman  HOSPAC Seeks Input on Endorsements New Board Members Take Office Jan. 1 Rep. Zerwas Honored at HOSPAC Leadership Reception Fundraising Update   Make Your Voice Heard ... Join HOSPAC! HOSPAC Notes is a periodic publication of the Texas Hospital Association's Political Action Committees, 1108 Lavaca, Suite 700, Austin, Texas 78701, 512/465-1047. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Lisa Kepple  Director, HOSPAC Jennifer O'Neil Public Affairs Specialist Amanda Engler Managing Editor Kathy Li Production Editor   A Note from the Chairman   Steve Sanders Health care reform is one of the most prominent issues in Washington and across the nation. Now more than ever, it is important that hospital staff and trustees – and especially all CEOs – join the PAC. HOSPAC is in the home stretch of its fundraising year and it needs your support more than ever before. Candidates will begin filing next month to run in the primary elections, which are just months away. It will be a busy and expensive campaign season, and HOSPAC must have the necessary funds to support those candidates who have worked to improve health care policy in the past as well as those who can help in the future. You might ask, “Why should I give? How does this affect me and my hospital?” Consider that the 181 members of the Texas Legislature and the 34 members of the Texas Congressional Delegation directly impact the bottom-line at every Texas hospital by deciding how to spend billions of state and federal dollars, directing how much to spend on programs like Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and other provider reimbursements. In addition, they make important health care policy decisions that impact your day-to-day operations. We must take an active role in electing hospital-friendly legislators. Click here to make your 2009 contribution online now – it’s easy, secure and quick. Or, if you prefer, contact HOSPAC Director Lisa Kepple directly at 512/465-1047 or lkepple@tha.org and she will be glad to assist you. To those who already have contributed – many thanks for your support!  2010 will be a busy year. HOSPAC will make endorsements in the upcoming election cycle. In addition, HOSPAC will have voter registration and get-out-the-vote materials available online. Have you considered offering your facility as an early voting or Election Day polling site? Watch for more information about endorsements and voter materials in late January. On Jan. 1, the 2010-2011 HOSPAC Board of Directors officially takes office, and we welcome our new members! It has been a privilege to serve as your chairman these last two years. As I hand over the gavel to incoming chairman David Tesmer of Texas Health Resources in Arlington, I urge you to continue supporting HOSPAC in its mission to build relationships with elected officials – ultimately leading to better health care policy for all Texans. Steve Sanders Chairman, HOSPAC Board of Directors Serving with Sanders is the HOSPAC Board of Directors.  HOSPAC Seeks Input on Endorsements The HOSPAC Board of Directors will meet Jan. 12 to review and make endorsements of state and federal candidates for the March 2 primary elections. The candidate filing period will run from Dec. 3 through Jan. 4, though many candidates already have begun campaigning. The HOSPAC Board invites comment from all HOSPAC members regarding the races up for endorsement consideration: governor; lieutenant governor; attorney general; comptroller; land commissioner; agriculture commissioner; Supreme Court places 3, 5 and 9; the 16 Texas Senate races (districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, 29); all 150 Texas House races; and all 32 Texas Congressional races. Please provide your comments about a specific race to HOSPAC Secretary/Treasurer Jennifer Banda, J.D., senior director of government relations and political affairs for THA, no later than Jan. 6. Because HOSPAC represents a diverse membership, and because many different types of candidates may be well-positioned to improve health care policy, HOSPAC contributes to and endorses candidates only after careful research and deliberation. The HOSPAC Board of Directors considers candidate recommendations from hospital and other community leaders; the candidate’s knowledge, philosophy and position on health care issues, and his or her willingness to listen to local hospital input; and district demographics. New Board Members Take Office Jan. 1  New members were appointed to the HOSPAC Board of Directors and approved by the Texas Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees at is Oct. 30 meeting. All HOSPAC directors serve two-year terms, which will begin Jan. 1.   David Tesmer David Tesmer, senior vice president of advocacy and community benefit at Texas Health Resources in Arlington, is HOSPAC’s new chairman. Other newly appointed directors include: David N. Parmer, FACHE, Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas, Beaumont; Cris Daskevich, FACHE, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston; Sally Hurt-Steffen, RN, FACHE, Sierra Providence East Medical Center, El Paso; Gary D. Brock, Baylor Health Care System, Dallas; Jesus Garza, University Medical Center at Brackenridge, Austin; Freddy Warner, J.D., Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, Houston; Michael Arvin, Methodist Health System, Dallas; and Rebecca Ballenger, Valley Baptist Health System, Harlingen Jennifer Banda, J.D., senior director of government relations and political affairs for THA, is the newly appointed secretary/treasurer for HOSPAC. A complete listing of the 2010-2011 HOSPAC Board of Directors, including both continuing and new members, will be posted to the HOSPAC Web site in January. Rep. Zerwas Honored at HOSPAC Leadership Reception  Rep. John Zerwas, M.D., (R-Richmond) was the special guest speaker at the HOSPAC Leadership Reception held Oct. 14 at Hotel ZaZa in Houston. HOSPAC member and former THA chairman Dan Wolterman, FACHE, president/chief executive officer of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, presented Rep. Zerwas with THA’s Texas Hospital Advocacy Tribute award, which honors state legislators who are highly supportive of issues important to hospitals and health systems during legislative sessions. Cris Daskevich, FACHE, senior vice president at Texas Children’s Hospital, also praised Rep. Zerwas for his leadership on key health care issues.     From left: Dan Wolterman, FACHE, president/chief executive officer of Memorial Hermann Healthcare System; Rep. John Zerwas, M.D.; HOSPAC Chairman Steve Sanders; and John Hawkins, THA’s senior vice president for advocacy and public policy. During the 2009 session, Rep. Zerwas chaired the Article II Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, in which he oversaw the crafting of the state’s health and human services budget for the next two years. In addition, he served as a member of the House Public Health Committee and authored legislation on a number of health care initiatives, including organ donation, licensure of freestanding emergency centers, health information technology, surgical technologist certification and health plan coverage for clinical trials. A physician and former hospital governing board member, Rep. Zerwas also was named by Texas Monthly as one of its 10 Best Legislators. More than 70 Texas health care leaders and trustees attended the event, including: Russ Bailey, chief executive officer, HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of North Houston; Carolyn Belk, vice president of government relations, The Methodist Hospital System; Rosemary Burns, trustee at ETMC Athens and incoming chair of Texas Healthcare Trustees; Stacy Cantu, president/chief executive officer, Texas Healthcare Trustees; Susan Distefano, senior vice president, Texas Children’s Hospital; Rex Everett, vice president, TeamHealth; Chris Fox, chief executive officer, HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Houston; Jeff Holland, FACHE, chief executive officer, Bayshore Medical Center; Carl Josehart, chief executive officer, TIRR Memorial Hermann; Gary Kerr, chief executive officer, Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital; David Lopez, FACHE, president/CEO, Harris County Hospital District; Jeanne Nirider, chief financial officer, Memorial Hermann Medical Group; Trent Pierce, chief executive officer, HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Beaumont; John Pitts, trustee at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital; Steve Sanders, north market leader for Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and chief executive officer, Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital; Juanita Romans, CEO, Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center; Angie Simmons, chief executive officer, HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Humble; Rosie Valadez McStay, director of government relations, Texas Children’s Hospital; Freddy Warner, system executive for public policy, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System; and many others.   Plea for Dollars: 2009 Membership Contributions Needed Now! HOSPAC must have all 2009 campaign funds in hand by Dec. 22. Your 2009 contribution is critical to the success of the HOSPAC’s mission to strengthen relationships with key legislators. Fully 100 percent of your contribution goes to help elect  legislators who can best advocate for hospitals and the patients they serve.      Please help today. More than $60,000 still is needed to meet the HOSPAC goal. Click here to make your contribution online call HOSPAC director Lisa Kepple at 512/465-1047 for more information or to contribute over the phone. If you have already given, ask your colleagues to join! Now is the time for all hospital leaders to be members of the PAC.   Contributions and Pledges as of Nov. 16:* Overall:   $201,336 (76% of $267,000 goal) State PAC:   $ 93,666 (77% of $121,000 goal) Federal PAC:  $ 96,510 (80% of $121,000 goal) CORP PAC:  $ 11,160 (45% of $25,000 goal)  * Most recent pledges/deposits received prior to publication. Back to top According to Texas Government Code 305.02, portions of this material may be considered “legislative advertising.” Authorization for its publication is made by John Hawkins, senior vice president of government and public affairs, Texas Hospital Association, P.O. Box 679010, Austin, Texas 78767-9010. [~Optout~]Unsubscribe[~EndOptout~] from HOSPAC e-mails.