Dear Colleagues,

As we round out another year of the pandemic, Massachusetts continues the good fight to care for our communities. COVID cases are back on the rise, census numbers are up, organizations are struggling with staffing shortages, yet I see hope for the future, especially for that of ACHE of Massachusetts. We excelled in providing programming to our members this year through virtual means, welcomed many new members, held onto our valuable sponsors as we went through the renewal process, and saw the largest number of members advance to Fellow since any of us can remember! As we look towards the future, we see a return to in-person programming, welcoming in more new members and helping more members advance toward Fellow.

ACHE of MA also continues to evolve and grow our Board. With four senior members retiring off the board this year, we have brought on new, engaged and energetic leaders. We also look towards the future with having our first physician-leader President in that of Dr. Ali Raja, who will begin his presidency as I complete mine in 2023. This opens so many doors for us and allows ACHE of MA to grow our clinician leader membership and provide areas of growth, education and networking for this valuable sector. We certainly believe that more physicians will be moving into administrative roles and Dr. Raja is a great leader to help guide this movement for ACHE of MA.

ACHE of MA remains committed to Diversity, Health Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. Our DEI Committee is one of the strongest committees of the chapter, and I am always in awe of the committee’s work and efforts. We have partnered with the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association to conduct a three-part series furthering the discussion on Health Equity. It is the work of everyone in healthcare to make sure that our communities have accessible and equitable care. We also are doing the important work of making sure our workforces are diverse and that opportunities to grow are available to everyone.

It remains a pleasure to serve the membership of ACHE of MA, and I am inspired by everyone’s strength and commitment to the chapter, to healthcare, and to our patients.

All the best on a healthy and happy holiday season!

Sincerely,

Maureen Banks, FACHE
President, ACHE of MA