AHA Stat Blog

America’s health care workforce is among the most highly skilled and highly trained in the world. But the COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges and exacerbated others.

America’s hospitals and health systems have been intensely focused on preparing to care for patients suffering from the novel coronavirus. From the very outset of the outbreak, hospitals have significantly transformed their operations – from the use of virtual care to devising solutions to deal with the shortages of drugs and equipment, such as ventilators – to respond aggressively to the pandemic.

This week, the women and men of America’s hospitals and health systems are continuing their heroic efforts caring for tens of thousands of COVID-19 patients.

Here is a summary of the impressive progress so far in the 100 Million Mask Challenge.

As our nation’s caregivers remain courageously entrenched in the battle against COVID-19, AHA is working to ensure that telehealth is realizing its potential as one of the most powerful health care tools in the arsenal.

Long hours, a shortage of personal protective equipment, self-isolating from their own family members to protect them … these are just a few of the many difficulties America’s front-line health care workers are facing as they lead the fight against COVID-19.

Even as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, we’re seeing so many examples of exceptional kindness, courage and compassion with which our care providers are meeting the health challenge of a lifetime.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the AHA has been sounding the alarm for policymakers and government leaders to make sure our field gets the tools and resources we need to win this war.

Giving a voice to health care leaders everywhere, AHA Board Chair Melinda Estes, M.D., president and CEO of Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, Mo., recently shared the following message with the team at Saint Luke’s.

The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening our country and straining many hospitals and health systems — and their team members — like never before. We have an awesome responsibility in this national crisis … and our field is stepping up, just as we always do.

The heroic, nonstop work of our nation’s hospitals and health systems, physicians, caregivers and staff continues across the country, as care teams race to treat patients affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and make every effort to contain its spread.

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack provides perspective on how our country's frontline health care providers are responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

As COVID-19 progresses, cyber criminals seek to exploit health care infrastructure.

As our nation’s strategy to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, hospitals and health systems remain on the front lines of this outbreak. 

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack provides perspective on the state of hospital preparedness in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Accelerating investment in physician practices by nontraditional players offers hospitals and health systems opportunities to develop thoughtful, targeted physician alignment strategies, writes Mital Patel, senior director, market research and intelligence, at the AHA Center for Health Innovation.

Hospitals and health systems are working to address their patients’ social needs and the broader social determinants of health in the communities they serve. This includes societal and environmental conditions such as food, housing, transportation, education, violence, social support, health behaviors and employment. 

Health care is a team sport. Patients benefit when health care teams work together to enhance care coordination. This has taken on an even greater urgency as our country prepares for and responds to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. 

In this guest blog, Kenneth Kaufman, chair of Kaufman Hall, looks at the Federal Trade Commission’s recent move to stop the proposed merger of Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health and Einstein Healthcare Network.

America’s health care providers are no strangers to challenges. Time and again, we have overcome complex, difficult and daunting situations by using innovative approaches that have vastly improved patients’ lives.