AHA’s Committee on Behavioral Health names 2024 chair, chair-elect and new members

Mar 08, 2024 - 03:11 PM
board_decision_900x400.jpg

Jill Howard, R.N., senior consultant, Sheppard Pratt Solutions, is the 2024 chair of AHA’s Committee on Behavioral Health. Zelia Baugh, executive vice president, behavioral health, JPS Health Network (Texas), will serve as the 2024 chair-elect; and Arpan Waghray, M.D., CEO, Well-Being Trust | Providence (Washington) will serve as the 2024 past-chair.  

Joining the committee as members are Leslie Simmons, R.N., executive vice president and chief operating officer, LifeBridge Health (Maryland); Kelly Barton, president, Spring Harbor Hospital (Maine); Archana Kumar, M.D., medical director, Cone Health Behavioral Health Hospital (North Carolina); Susan Parisi, M.D., chief wellness officer, Geisinger Health System (Pennsylvania); Thomas Saggio, R.N., director of behavioral health operations, St. Louis Children’s Hospital (Missouri); Mary Sparks Thompson, R.N., president, Trilliam Place, a Carle Health affiliate (Illinois); and Jennifer Wahkinney, R.N., chief nurse executive, Lawton Service Unit, Indian Health Service (Oklahoma).  

The committee advises AHA on policy and advocacy and provides a forum for strategic discussion of issues important to behavioral health providers and the field. For more information on AHA’s work on behavioral health, click here.

Related News Articles

Perspective
At AHA’s Annual Membership Meeting, Uniting to Protect Access to Care
Public
Just 23 days from now, more than 1,000 hospital and health system leaders from across the country will arrive in Washington, D.C., for the 2026 AHA Annual…
Headline
AHA launches new ad celebrating hospitals’ compassion and care
The AHA March 15 unveiled a new digital ad spotlighting hospitals and health systems as the place where compassion and medicine come together. “There’s …
Headline
AHA releases 2026 Environmental Scan, highlighting key data and trends shaping health care
The AHA has released its 2026 Environmental Scan, a comprehensive resource designed to help hospitals and health systems navigate a rapidly evolving landscape…
Headline
SHSMD announces 2026 advisory board members
The AHA’s Society for Health Care Strategy & Market Development Oct. 21 announced Dennis S. Jolley, system vice president of strategy and planning at UW…
Headline
HANYS CEO and former AHA Board Member Bea Grause to retire
The Healthcare Association of New York State Sept. 16 announced Bea Grause, R.N., its president and CEO, will retire in summer 2026. Grause was active for many…
Blog
Setting the Record Straight: Separating Fact from Fiction on Health Insurance Marketplace Fraud
Public
The Paragon Health Institute has published a series of new reports once again alleging large-scale “fraud” in health care. This time their target is enrollment…