Last Wednesday, 30 MHA members and staff came together for an event with Senate President Bill Ferguson. We shared a clear message: Hospitals need unprecedented levels of support to meet this moment. Operations have shifted drastically over the course of the pandemic due to meteoric staffing costs, volatile vacancy rates, and ever-fluctuating community needs.

You know this, too: Hospitals are overflowing, but most people have put COVID behind them. We all see people without masks, larger indoor gatherings with unguarded contact, and other behaviors that mean the latest surge won’t end soon.

Hospital leaders drove this message home to President Ferguson. And this is what MHA will be talking about when the General Assembly convenes this Wednesday.

Importantly, we asked the Senate President to communicate the severity of the situation directly with the public and to encourage his fellow legislators to do the same.

Workforce and medical liability are two areas where hospitals have faced serious challenges for some time now. The pandemic has raised these concerns to new heights. MHA is conveying that the time for change is now—before it’s too late.

More than ever, we need the entire field to connect with local legislators and share compelling stories. One hospital lost its entire respiratory therapy team to a Texas hospital that offered each person $10,000 a week. Examples like this create lasting impact.

Help your elected leaders understand the effects on your community—their constituents. Ask them to champion your needs this session and to talk publicly about what’s needed to end the pandemic. Your MHA team will be doing the same.

Bob Atlas
President & CEO