Message from Your ACHE Regent
Summer 2021
The past few weeks have been sultry and humid. I hope each of you are enjoying the summer and making the best of it during the pandemic. Summer starts the new leadership wave for CTAHE with Michael Novak as your President. If you haven’t read Mike’s first letter to CTAHE members, please do so. I say this because he tells a great story that is very similar for many of us ACHE members. Something interested each of us in becoming a member of ACHE, joining the local chapter, and wanting to be involved and give back. The chapter is rich with longevity members as well as eager new members who want to be involved. Our chapter has hit a home run with participation from members, but we can always give a bit more! Now is the time to invite a non-member to join the chapter. As we look to the academic year, the higher education network will begin its work once again, engaging with the local universities. It is truly with the students that we need to create the awareness of ACHE, its value to their healthcare leadership career, and how our local chapter can be the avenue for their involvement and start of their career journey. As leaders join your organizations, invite them to join ACHE if they are not a member and bring them along to chapter networking events.
On the national front, as your Regent, I had the opportunity to provide input into the draft of a new strategic plan for ACHE during the recent Regent leadership conference and the District 1 meeting. In the Regent leadership meeting, Regents were placed in focus groups in which very meaningful work and the conversation took place to really “hash” out the elements of a strategic plan. While the plan remains a draft with finalization at the Board of Governors level sometime this fall; I can share with you that the plan focuses on some key initiatives:
• ACHE as a catalyst will commit to leading for equity and safety
• As a connector, ACHE will commit to growing our professional community across the healthcare continuum by leveraging partnerships with chapters and other organizations.
• As a trusted partner, ACHE will commit to deepening engagement with members and the healthcare community through education, networking, and career services to inspire and cultivate leaders to advance health.
Kudos to CTAHE for being socially responsible with events during the pandemic times. I keep reflecting on the very successful golf outing and presentation of annual awards in May at a time when our COVID-19 cases were at a low. Our in-person connections that day with peers that we had not seen in a long time rejuvenated us and gave us hope. Now with the presence of the delta variant and seeing cases on the rise, the postponement of the August 12 networking event at Boca Oyster Bar in Bridgeport was the right decision by CTAHE leadership. The rise in cases further supports what we already know, that vaccination is so important! We will continue to be resilient leaders moving forward in this pandemic in meeting the needs of patients, families, and our communities.
Remember to take time for yourself since we cannot sustain success as leaders if we are not being mindful of what we need personally to re-energize and balance work and life. Enjoy the remainder of what summer brings your way!
Warmly,
Denise J. Fiore, FACHE
Regent for Connecticut
