Last Friday, the California Hospital Association announced its next President & CEO.
I am humbled and honored by the opportunity and deeply grateful for the trust placed in me by the CHA Board of Trustees.
The past few days have given me a chance to reflect. I have heard from people from nearly every chapter of my life — friends, teachers, professors, former colleagues, hospital leaders, and community partners. Those conversations have reminded me of something I have learned repeatedly throughout my career: very little worth accomplishing is accomplished alone.
That is certainly true of my eight years at Hospital Council.
Together, we have navigated a pandemic, wildfires, power shutoffs, workforce shortages, behavioral health challenges, ambulance patient offload delays, payer issues, and an increasingly difficult financial and regulatory environment.
More importantly, we have not simply talked about those problems. We have worked together to solve them.
I have seen that spirit across 50 of California’s 58 counties, from our smallest rural hospitals to our largest health systems. CHA’s announcement recognized that experience, including the privilege I have had representing nearly half of California’s hospitals before local policymakers.
My time leading Hospital Council has reinforced something I believe deeply: Hospitals are at their best when the pressure is highest.
They lead. They innovate. They solve problems others have struggled to solve.
We will need to do all three in the years ahead.
California hospitals face enormous challenges, including federal Medicaid changes, workforce shortages, rising costs, behavioral health needs, emergency department capacity, rural access, and affordability. Meeting them cannot simply mean defending the health care system we have today.
We have to help build what comes next.
Hospitals need to transform to meet the changing health needs of all Californians. Our legislative and regulatory environment must enable that transformation and give hospitals the flexibility to innovate, adapt, and deliver care differently. And we must demonstrate that transformation through better access, greater affordability, stronger communities, and better care for the people we serve.
I also recognize the responsibility of following Carmela Coyle, who has led California hospitals through a pandemic and nearly a decade of profound change. I am grateful for her leadership, friendship, and the strong foundation she has built. That foundation is the momentum we will use to ensure our hospitals are leading in providing the best care for all Californians.
Most importantly, I want to thank our Hospital Council members and team.
You trusted me. You challenged me. You answered the phone when something mattered. You brought ideas instead of simply identifying problems. And you showed what’s possible when talented people work together with a common purpose.
I am proud of what we have built. I am even more optimistic about what California’s hospitals can build next.
Thank you for the trust, the partnership, and the privilege of continuing to serve you and the hospital field.