Dear Colleagues,

I write today amidst the most unusual and challenging period that healthcare leaders, caregivers, and society itself have faced in our lifetimes. We’ve been awakened from the usual grind of operations and leadership to the frontlines of a pandemic that has sown change and uncertainty through our organizations, our entire country, and the world. Now we stand here today, preparing and braced for a foe we’ve never known, can’t see, and cannot completely predict.

Against such a backdrop, it is tempting to question the relevance of publishing a quarterly health executive newsletter. So I have just two reasons for why I write today. The first is my belief that leadership matters. In times of crisis, it may be all that matters. And leadership is what ACHE of MA is all about. It is our main purpose and reason for being. Improving today’s leaders and grooming the next generation of those of the future. So read with pride the stories of leadership you’ll find in our Spring edition: from March Women’s Month to our Student Career Navigation Event to the great work of our Diversity & Inclusion Committee. If we have a crisis to face, I’m honored to be facing it with such a great group of healthcare professionals.

My second reason for writing is to bid a fond and bittersweet farewell to Donna Powell, who retires May 8 from her role as Chapter Administrator after 15 years of service. As every previous Chapter President has told me,“You can hold the presidential title, but it’s Donna who really runs the chapter” how beautifully true. Thank you Donna for all you’ve done for thousands of us at ACHE of MA. Our chapter owes its superb standing in large part to your tireless efforts. Though the cancellation of our May event prevented us from publicly acknowledging her great career here, keep an eye out for upcoming announcements on this front. Lastly, a warm welcome to Annamarie Grise who takes over the Administrator role in May. If there is such a thing as an ideal successor to Donna, I believe we found her.

Stay healthy and safe,

John 

John Fogarty, FACHE

ACHE of MA Chapter President

After serious discussion at our MA Chapter Board Meeting earlier this month, we decided to postpone all ACHE of Massachusetts Chapter events through May as healthcare organizations manage the coronavirus.

Also, we heard from some of you that our May 1 conference speakers did not reflect the Chapter's commitment to diversity and inclusion. Thank you for reaching out to us, and we agree. The panel of speakers should have been more representative of our Chapter’s membership and aligned with where we want to be as a Chapter and as an organization. We apologize for not having been more thoughtful about our full membership’s perspective in this area. Our Program Committee will be redoubling their efforts on a revamped roster of speakers for our Fall event and are committed to ensuring all of our future events are more inclusive.

Fall Conference

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

DoubleTree by Hilton, Westborough, MA

Our Program Committee is planning something great and professionally enriching to look forward to.

Stay tuned and please stay safe,

John Christoforo, FACHE

ACHE of MA Program Committee Chair

Started in 1987, Women’s History Month recognizes all women for their valuable contributions to history and society. The Massachusetts Chapter of ACHE would like to thank the women of our Chapter who serve on our board or as committee chairs.

ACHE of Massachusetts held its 1st Student Career Navigation Event on February 12, 2020 at Suffolk University. Sixty-five students from many of the local healthcare graduate programs and 11 healthcare organizations and consulting firms attended. Free professional head shots, resume critiquing, and mock interviews were available.

Rachel Wilson, COO of Atrius Health, gave an extremely thoughtful and energetic presentation on Navigating Your Career in Healthcare Management.

Thank you to Boston University School of Public Health and Suffolk University Sawyer Business School for sponsoring this event.

Thank you to the Diversity & Inclusion team at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for hosting the D&I ACHE of MA Chapter committee meeting.

Ildemaro Gonzalez, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Chief Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Officer reviewed DCFI goals and objectives. Frantz Berthaud, a member of the MA Chapter’s D&I committee, provided us an overall review of D&I initiatives and thoughts as we plan our 2020 goals.

Nominations for the 2020 Diversity & Inclusion Leader Award POSTPONED

While we have begun to receive nominations for our 2nd annual Diversity and Inclusion Award, we will postpone the process as the award will be given out at our Fall Conference on October 21st.

We applaud you for the work your organizations are doing in their commitment to creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us with any questions as to the nomination process.

Welcome to our two new Co-Chairs for Civic Engagement.

Damiana Andonova, Consultant, The Innova Group

Basel Tarab, Patient Relations Specialist, Boston Children's Hospital

Dear Colleagues,

It has been a busy winter, if not a wintery one! I have several important updates.

Higher Education Network: The next Regent Webex with HEN Program Directors is scheduled for Wednesday, April 12 from 10:00 am to 10:30 am. This is an important way to receive updates, follow-up to your ideas, and engagement so that you meet your obligations as a HEN participant!

I’d like to like to thank the HEN outreach committee and planning group that for the highly successful Career Navigation Event for Students held on February 12th at Suffolk University. Chris Louis, Andrea Paciello, FACHE, Kathy Sucich, Carmen Kenrich, Donna Powell, and Rick Gregg helped plan the event.

Read more

We would like to share with you an article Smart & Safe Anesthesia: More Value & Lower Costs for Massachusetts Health Plan, Hospital and System Leaders

co-written by the Chapter President of Massachusetts Association of Nurse Anesthetists (MANA), one of our chapter sponsors.

Read now

Take a look at our new members who joined in the 1st quarter of 2020.

Become a 2020 yearly ACHE of MA sponsor. For only $3,000 (prorated based on which month you become a sponsor) per year, your company name and logo will be seen by thousands of people throughout the year.

Learn more

Patient safety has been a pressing issue in healthcare, spurred by the publication of the landmark report To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System in 1999. Anne Marie Benedicto, a vice president at healthcare accreditor The Joint Commission, recently shared her thoughts regarding the patient safety outlook for this year. She detailed four ongoing trends she feels will dominate the safety landscape in 2020.

Read now