NAPH and NPHHI Elect New Governance Committee Members

WASHINGTON, DC (PRWEB) June 21, 2012

The National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH) and its research affiliate, the National Public Health and Hospital Institute (NPHHI), have elected several new members to their governance committees for the 2012 to 2013 term. These committees help guide NAPH and NPHHI advocacy and education, as well as quality improvement opportunities stemming from NPHHI's Transformation Center.

"We are excited about the contributions these members will make to our governance committees and look forward to the opportunity to work with them in serving safety net hospitals across the country," said Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, NAPH's president and chief executive officer.

NAPH Executive Committee

• Betsey Bayless, president and chief executive officer, Maricopa Integrated Health System (Phoenix) - Widely recognized as one of Arizona's most dynamic leaders, Betsey Bayless has turned the state's only public hospital system into a comprehensive system focused on serving community needs and providing primary care, specialized services, clinical research, and medical education.
• Tim Goldfarb, chief executive officer, Shands HealthCare (Gainesville, Fla.) - Since joining Shands in 2001, Tim Goldfarb has led the organization to numerous honors and awards, including the 2008 Governor's Sterling Award, which recognized the organization for quality, outcomes, and organizational excellence. He drives Shands to improve individual and community health through discovery, science and technology, education, innovation, and patient-centered care.
• Sheldon M. Retchin, MD, MSPH, chief executive officer, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System and vice president for health sciences, VCU (Richmond) - Considered a national expert in health policy and health care delivery, Sheldon Retchin directs the VCU health system, which includes an 865-licensed bed teaching hospital comprising the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) Hospitals and the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. The system also encompasses the MCV Physicians faculty practice plan, which has about 600 faculty physicians, and the Virginia Premier Health Plan, a Medicaid health maintenance organization. As vice president for health sciences, Retchin also has academic responsibility for VCU's schools of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and allied health.

NPHHI Board of Directors

• Christine Neuhoff, JD, vice president and general counsel, St. Luke's Health System (Boise, ID) - An accomplished strategic adviser with experience in multiple safety net systems, Christine Neuhoff serves as legal counsel for the largest private employer in Idaho. In this role, she is responsible for developing and managing the legal, compliance, internal audit, and insurance and professional claims departments. She also provides guidance on legislative and regulatory proposals and advocacy.
• Susan Moffatt-Bruce, MD, PhD, chief quality and patient safety officer, Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University (OSU) (Columbus) - Passionate about quality and patient safety initiatives, Susan Moffatt-Bruce is responsible for directing the quality of a health system with more than 1,200 physicians and 1,100 beds across six hospitals. She is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon and has an active laboratory in transplantation research funded by the National Institutes of Health.

New Officers

The NAPH Executive Committee and NPHHI Board also elected new officers for 2012-2013. As of July 1, NAPH officers are Stephen W. McKernan, UNM Hospitals, Chair; Thomas P. Traylor, Boston Medical Center, Chair-Elect; William B. Walker, MD, Contra Costa Health Services, Secretary; Johnese Spisso, RN, MPA, UW Medicine Health System, Treasurer; and Kirk A. Calhoun, MD, The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, Past-Chair.

NPHHI officers as of July 1 are Johnese Spisso, RN, MPA, Chief Health System Officer & VP Medical Affairs, UW Medicine Health System, Chair; Clifford Wang, MD, President, Medical Staff, Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System, Secretary; Caroline Jacobs, MPH, MS Ed, Senior Vice President of Patient Safety, Accreditation & Regulatory Services, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Treasurer; Reginald W. Coopwood, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Regional Medical Center at Memphis, Past-Chair.

About the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH)
NAPH represents the nation's safety net hospitals and health systems, which provide high volumes of care to low-income individuals. These facilities offer high-quality health services for all patients, including the uninsured and underinsured, regardless of ability to pay. In addition to helping ensure access to health care for all Americans, safety net hospitals provide many essential communitywide services, such as primary care, trauma care, and neonatal intensive care. Safety net hospitals also train many of America's doctors, nurses, and other health care providers. Since its inception in 1980, NAPH has cultivated a strong presence on Capitol Hill, with the executive branch, and in many state capitols. NAPH advocates on behalf of its members on such issues as Medicaid, Medicare, and access to health care services for vulnerable populations. For more information, visit our website at http://www.naph.org/.

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