On Monday, the American Hospital Association, alongside thousands of hospitals and the nurses, doctors and others who - within and outside their walls - take care of people, will kick off National Hospital Week. The event commemorates the women and men who support the health of their communities through dedication and compassionate care. It also celebrates the history and professionalism of individuals who perform miracles every day.

This is a most timely celebration because, in addition to honoring the work of hospital caregivers, we also celebrate how far hospitals have come to be seen as beacons of confidence and care.

To understand just how much progress has been made, it helps to remember the history of National Hospital Week. In 1921, according to the lore, a magazine editor suggested to hospital leaders that more information about their hospitals might alleviate public fears about the "shrouded" institutions of the day.

Now, in an age brimming with information, as consumerism rapidly ascends, and as hospitals engage the communities they serve like never before, the idea of a "shrouded" institution is antithetical to the very definition of a modern hospital.

This is at once regretful and inspiring. It's troubling to think that at one time, hospitals were perceived by so many as "shrouded" institutions, whose inner workings were not truly accessible to patients or the public. But so much has changed, and that's encouraging. The hospitals of today embrace their communities as full partners in achieving their organizations' missions - missions of help, healing and hope.

National Hospital Week is about celebrating that progress and the positive impact it has on your patients and communities.

We'll be highlighting the week on our social media sites (Facebook and Twitter). And we've passed on a few resources to your public relations executives for their consideration. They include:  

• Digital Toolkit: to help with a social media campaign to raise awareness about the importance of hospitals to their communities. There are many ways to participate, from tweeting messages of support to changing your social media profile image to the recognizable hospital "H."
  
  
• Product Catalog: with fun gifts, awards and promotions to help make this year a special celebration and thank everyone for their contributions. Items can be personalized with your organization's name. 

MHA's annual meeting will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore on June 1-2 and is designed for senior leaders of Maryland's hospitals, from CEOs and trustees to chief medical officers, chief nursing officers and others.

This year's Davidson Lecture will feature Dr. Leana Wen, M.D., MSc., commissioner of the Baltimore City Health Department. Dr. Wen, a Harvard-educated emergency physician and Rhodes Scholar, has spent much of her career in two worlds - the emergency department, where she diagnosed and treated health problems quickly, and the public health sphere, where she worked on far-reaching policies that encourage equitable access to care. Dr. Wen is on the front lines of the national movement from volume to value, having written a best-selling book ("When Doctors Don't Listen") and co-led a national collaboration on health policy and social mission with Kaiser Permanente. The founding director of George Washington University's Patient-Centered Care Research interdisciplinary program, Dr. Wen is committed to understanding the unique needs of every patient, so that their health is maximized outside the emergency department -- to provide the right care in the right place, at the right time.

If you are still in need of a sleeping room at the Four Seasons Hotel for the night of Monday, June 1, please contact Kathy Gotwalt.

Click here to view the annual membership meeting brochure, and here to register.

Contact: Kathy Gotwalt

The Maryland Healthcare Education Institute's (MHEI) fall programming schedule includes a collaboration with the Maryland Organization of Nurse Executives (MONE). On September 24, MHEI and MONE will sponsor a program aimed at helping nurse leaders (and other health care leaders) recognize the different strategies and programs for managing population health in Maryland. In addition, this program will focus on nursing's role in the future of Maryland health care. The agenda features a number of key presentations including Kim White, senior consultant with Numerof and Associates, and Brian Boyle, Maryland's own health care advocate. For more information, follow this link. To register click here.