Press Release

Christine Capito Burch to Receive AHA's Honorary Life Membership Award

Contact:
AHA Press Room - (202) 797-4840 -
After April 27th - Elizabeth Lietz (202) 626-2284
or Matt Fenwick - (312) 422-2820

Washington D.C.

The American Hospital Association (AHA) will present its Honorary Life Membership Award to Christine Capito Burch, executive director of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH), for her contributions to hospitals and health care in America.  The award recognizes individuals who have made important contributions to the health care field and who share the mission, values and goals of the AHA.  

"Throughout her career, Chris has been steadfast in advancing the needs of our country's safety net hospitals," said Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the AHA.  "She also has been a valued partner in the AHA's efforts to ensure access to Medicare and Medicaid for our most vulnerable patients, as well as being a tireless advocate for the uninsured and underinsured in this country."  

After 20 years as the executive director of NAPH, Burch will retire this year, capping off a distinguished career in health policy and federal advocacy.  Throughout her tenure at NAPH, she has been a collaborative partner with the AHA on a variety of challenging issues facing public hospitals and the communities they serve.  Most notably, in 2007-2008, she spearheaded a successful campaign to stop Medicaid cuts. 

Prior to joining NAPH, Burch was the Washington representative for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, the nation's largest public hospital system.  Previous to her work for hospitals, she served as a legislative assistant on the United States Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Health and Scientific Research and worked for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Burch is a member of the Board of Directors for the Coalition to Protect America's Health Care and is the NAPH representative to the AHA's Section for Metropolitan Hospitals.   

About AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which includes more than 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, and 38,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.