Becker's Hospital Review

32 POPULATION HEALTH 32 CEO / STRATEGY 39 health systems declare racism a public health crisis, vow to fight it By Alia Paavola T hirty-nine health systems across the U.S. declared racism a public health crisis and committed to address healthcare disparities across the nation. e health systems are part of the Healthcare An- chor Network, which was formed in 2016 to col- lectively work to improve community health. e Healthcare Anchor Network announced the decla- ration and pledge Sept. 27. e 39 health systems have pledged to take sev- eral steps to address healthcare disparities and structural racism in their organizations. Some of the steps include providing access to COVID-19 testing in underserved communities, making hir- ing efforts inclusive and increasing spending with diverse-owned vendors and suppliers. "Systemic racism results in generational trauma and poverty, while also unquestionably causing higher rates of illness and death in Black and Indig- enous communities and communities of color. We have seen — in its rawest form — how the trauma of systemic racism adds to the historical injustices that have disproportionately affected communities of color," the health systems' statement read. e pledge and statement was modeled aer a June statement signed by 36 Chicago-area health sys- tems. e organizations also committed to: • Re-examining institutional policies with an equity lens • Boosting access to primary and specialty care • Renewing and expanding unconscious bias training and anti-racism work • Continuing to focus on improving care of pa- tients with chronic conditions • Advocating for investments and innovations to boost access, quality and health for under- served communities • Hiring locally and promoting and retaining leaders of color n Trump signs executive orders on healthcare: 6 things to know By Ayla Ellison P resident Donald Trump on Sept. 24 signed two executive orders implementing his "America First Healthcare Plan." Six things to know: 1. One of the executive orders is aimed at ensuring Americans with preexisting conditions retain healthcare coverage should the Supreme Court undercut the ACA, according to The Hill. 2. The president announced the executive action as his administration is backing a lawsuit to undo the ACA, which offers protections for people with preexisting conditions by prohibiting health insurers from denying coverage to people with known health conditions. 3. The order declares protecting people with preexisting conditions "the policy of the United States." However, it does not give any legislative guarantees that Americans would continue to have those protections if the ACA is undone by the Supreme Court, according to NBC News. 4. The president also announced an order aimed at preventing surprise medical bills. The order directs Congress to pass legislation banning sur- prise medical bills, and explore executive action if Congress fails to act by Jan. 1, according to The Hill. 5. Both Republicans and Democrats have been calling for action on sur- prise medical bills for more than a year, but haven't been able to reach an agreement, according to The Hill. 6. The president also announced Sept. 24 that his administration will al- low importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada. n Florida Hospital Association names new CEO By Kelly Gooch T he Florida Hospital Association has tapped Mary Mayhew as pres- ident and CEO. Previously, Ms. Mayhew was secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, the health policy and planning body re- sponsible for the state's Medicaid program and licensure of healthcare facilities. She also previously served as commissioner of the Maine De- partment of Health and Human Services and vice president of the Maine Hospital Association. In her new role, Ms. Mayhew will direct strategy and operations at the association, which has more than 200 hospital and health system mem- bers, the association said in a news release. She succeeds Bruce Rueben, who retired in December 2019. Executive Vice President Crystal Stickle has been serving as interim president. n

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