AHA Stat Blog

Back in 2011, the first wave of Baby Boomers — people born from 1946 to 1964 — celebrated their 65th birthday. That marked a new demographic trend: the aging of the U.S. population.

Just days ago, UnitedHealthcare announced a new policy that threatened to deny some patient claims for emergency services starting July 1 if the insurer determined that the patient didn’t need emergency-level care.

Hospitals and health system leaders are committing to increasing diversity and inclusion in the board room.

Hospitals are cornerstones of our communities. They provide a broad spectrum of acute and ambulatory care services and serve as economic anchors in many cities and towns.

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated health disparities, and the renewed calls for social justice and dismantling structural racism have moved front and center to our community health improvement work.

COVID-19. Never have our communities been faced with such a challenge, bringing to light the full spectrum of heartache and resiliency.

As the global pandemic recedes, hospitals, health systems and community-based organizations must continue to align strategies and tactics and accelerate the shared work on ensuring health equity and creating communities that contribute to vitality for all.

When COVID-19 was rapidly sweeping through the country in spring 2020, Americans instinctively did what they have done for generations in times of peril: They turned to hospitals for safety, securi

Our hospitals and health systems are not immune to violence, but they have made great efforts to curb it, writes Mary Beth Kingston, R.N., chief nurse officer at Advocate Aurora Health in Milwaukee, Wis., and Downers Grove, Ill., AHA Board member and AHA’s Hospitals Against Violence advisory group chair. In this blog (LINK), Kingston talks about how her system combats violence and encourages others to share their stories for tomorrow’s #HAVhope Friday.

Key insights from health care leaders nationwide on AHA’s "Advocating for the Asian American Community during COVID-19" panel discussion.

The threat to public health from the pandemic is thankfully subsiding. Unfortunately, a very different threat is on the rise: Cyber criminals have been ramping up their attacks on the health care sector, jeopardizing systems and putting lives at risk.

Reliance on digital tools can exacerbate barriers to care among certain populations and may be less accessible to people with limited English proficiency. As these technologies become ubiquitous, now is the time to examine digital health from an equity lens to ensure that no community is left behind.

While tributes and celebrations are important, for those of us in health care, this month is an opportunity to pause and reflect on this diverse community’s health needs – during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Tomorrow, May 25, marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. His death shined a spotlight on the systemic racism and inequities in many aspects of our society. These include inequities in health and health care. 

As our country continues to emerge slowly from the COVID-19 pandemic, the value of America’s hospitals and health systems – and the 6 million women and men who work there – has never been more apparent. 

Women are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and into the first postpartum year than at any other time in their lives, writes Margaret Howard, division director of women's behavioral health at Providence, R.I.-based Women & Infants Hospital and executive director of women’s behavioral health at Care New England. Read about how the Postpartum Depression Day Hospital at WIH provides whole health treatment to pregnant women and new mothers in a safe and nurturing environment.

Millions of people across our country are living with a mental health issue. It’s estimated that one in five U.S. adults and one in six young people ages 6-17 experience a mental health disorder every year.

The heroic efforts of our hospitals, health systems and care teams in fighting the pandemic over the past 17 months is a testament to the dedication and determination of the best health professionals in the world.