Telling the Hospital Story 2026 Flip Book
Download and share examples reflecting hospitals' deep commitment to meeting community needs today while preparing for the challenges of tomorrow.
Member Resource: Building and Maintaining Public Trust and Confidence
Share these new resources with your communications and leadership teams.
Hospitals Leading the Way to a Healthier America
Hospitals have always been at the heart of community health empowering healthier, happier lives for all.
AHA Launches New Multimedia Advertising Campaign to Promote Hospitals
The campaign includes a commercial that will run on national, cable, and digital TV and digital advertising.
Resources Spotlight Crucial Role of Rural Hospitals and Health Systems
The AHA released new resources to help rural hospitals and health systems share their stories and highlight the vital role they play in their communities.
Creative repurposing saves heart during double-lung transplant
Old technology — applied in new and novel ways — can still be a lifesaver.
All Stories
Ensuring Access to Care
AdventHealth
Altamonte, Fla.
In this conversation, Brent Davis, CEO of the primary health division at AdventHealth, shares how improved patient access, coordinated care teams, virtual care, and proactive follow-up are building a more efficient, consumer-focused healthcare system.
Ensuring Access to Care
Sentara Princess Anne Hospital
Virginia Beach, Va.
Virginia hospital teams up with Corvette club to drive home importance of prostate cancer screenings
Just as regular maintenance keeps a car running smoothly, routine health screenings can help detect problems before they become serious.
Ensuring Access to Care
Nantucket Cottage Hospital
Nantucket, Mass.
In this conversation, Amy Lee, president and chief operating officer at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, shares how telehealth is transforming patient care on the island,
Benefiting Communities
Presbyterian Healthcare Services
New Mexico
In New Mexico, Presbyterian Healthcare Services’ "Food as Medicine" approach closely aligns with the goals of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
Benefiting Communities
Kula Hospital
Hawaii
Hawaii state leaders, Maui Health and Kaiser Permanente announced plans to restore and reopen Kula Hospital after the March 2026 Kona Low storms caused significant damage and forced the temporary closure of the hospital, including its emergency department and the Hale Makamae care facility.
Kula Hospital restoration moves forward with state and Kaiser Permanente funding, bringing resilient emergency, inpatient and long-term care back to Upcountry Maui.
Benefiting Communities
Erie County Medical Center
New York
The palliative care department at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC) was the first in Western New York to offer patients a new component of their overall care: help with legal issues from the MedLaw Partnership.
Innovation, Research, and Quality Improvement
Bingham Memorial Hospital
Idaho
Bingham Memorial Hospital is playing a leading role in a first-of-its-kind cancer care initiative in the Pacific Northwest through a partnership with Portneuf Medical Center and Virchow Medical.
The hospitals are using the Crow’s Nest Biopsy Catchment System to capture and preserve tumor cells typically discarded after routine biopsies.
Innovation, Research, and Quality Improvement
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital and Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital
St. Louis and Maryland Heights, Mo.
A multidisciplinary team at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis successfully separated 2-year-old twin sisters Hiyab and Wuhbto, who were born conjoined at the head, during a complex operation that lasted more than 24 hours in February 2026.
Innovation, Research, and Quality Improvement
UnityPoint Health – Trinity Regional Medical Center
Fort Dodge, Iowa
UnityPoint Health – Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge is using artificial intelligence technology during colonoscopy procedures to improve early detection of colorectal cancer.
Prevention and Wellness
UK HealthCare
Lexington, Kentucky
UK HealthCare’s Albert B. Chandler Hospital has introduced a new emergency department screening protocol to help clinicians identify and treat sepsis sooner.
Prevention and Wellness
Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare
Saint Paul, Minn.
In this conversation, Tori Bahr, M.D., section chief of pediatrics at Gillette Children’s, shares how healthcare teams can improve the transition from pediatric to adult care through early planning, coordinated care teams, and a more personalized approach to patient needs.
Prevention and Wellness
AdventHealth
Florida
In this Leadership Dialogue conversation, Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist and the 2026 AHA board chair, talks with David Banks, president and CEO of AdventHealth. They discuss the organization's strategy to expand primary care across its communities, the importance of giving primary care its own leadership and resources, and why the future of community health depends on building stronger relationships with patients.
Workforce
BayCare Health System
Florida
In this conversation, Nikki Daily, chief team resources officer at BayCare Health System, discusses how the organization is addressing that challenge by building career pathways, developing apprenticeships, and partnering with community organizations to create opportunities for the healthcare workforce.
Workforce
Harrison Memorial Hospital (Ky.) Banner Health (Ariz.), Dartmouth Health (N.H.), Hutchinson Regional Medical Center (Kan.), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Ark.), Western Wisconsin Health (Wis.)
In part two of this special three-part Advancing Health podcast series, hear how leaders are creating new pathways into the workforce, investing in training, and bringing together the skills and expertise needed to support families in rural communities.
Workforce
The University of Kansas Health System
McPherson, Kan.
Rural Kansas has sweeping plains, golden wheat fields, and a sky that stretches as far as the eye can see. What it doesn’t have is what so many other rural areas also are lacking — a sustainable healthcare workforce.
Ensuring Access to Care
Thanks to a federal grant, Vanderbilt University Medical Center is aiming to provide care for women at one of the darkest times in their lives.
Ensuring Access to Care
Half of all Medicare beneficiaries get their benefits through Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, which are offered by private companies and in theory should provide the same level of coverage of traditional Medicare.
Ensuring Access to Care
Houlton (Maine) Regional Hospital has received a level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation, the bronze standard, for delivering excellent care for older adults in its emergency department.
Ensuring Access to Care
In this conversation, Tina Pattara-Lau, M.D., maternal and child health consultant with the Indian Health Service Office of Clinical and Preventive Services, and Johnna Nynas, M.D. obstetrics and gynecology specialist at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center, explore common disparities and systemic barriers Indigenous people experience in pregnancy and postpartum.
Ensuring Access to Care
The AHA’s prestigious Foster G. McGaw Prize honors health delivery organizations that have demonstrated a strategic approach to community health and addressing health disparities.
Ensuring Access to Care
A new pediatric heart clinic in Troy, Mich., opened by Children's Hospital of Michigan, is handling pre- and post-surgical appointments for area patients, relieving them from much longer commutes to Detroit.
Ensuring Access to Care
Berkshire Medical Center’s Operation Better Start is a collaborative effort among health care providers to help young people and their families make and sustain positive changes in their health.
Ensuring Access to Care
Paramedics in a mobile medical unit from Henry Ford Health are visiting new mothers at home to check their vitals as part of an initiative to help reduce pregnancy-related deaths across Michigan.
Ensuring Access to Care
In April, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics opened a new 30-room short stay unit to help ease overcrowding and streamline the hospital experience for short-term patients requiring observation
Benefiting Communities
Corewell Health
Grand Rapids, Mich.
To celebrate Community Health Improvement (CHI) Week, June 9 – June 13, two experts from Corewell Health share how an impactful health care ecosystem model is supporting local Michigan communities
Benefiting Communities
Essentia Health-Fargo has introduced a brightly colored, ocean-themed sensory path in its pre-op space to make the environment more engaging for kids.
Benefiting Communities
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
Los Angeles, Calif.
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine, made a major discovery in understanding how the brain may help regulate hearing.
Benefiting Communities
In this conversation, Duke University's Anna Tharakan, lead project manager on Closing the Gap on Hypertension Disparities, and Bradi Granger, Ph.D., research professor at Duke University School of Nursing and director of the Duke Heart Center Nursing Research Program, discuss how Duke’s team is reducing disparities in hypertension.
Benefiting Communities
Keck School of Medicine of USC
Los Angeles, Calif.
When the Eaton and Palisades wildfires devastated areas of Los Angeles County earlier this year, they sparked a swift response from students at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
Benefiting Communities
What do you do when people in your community are food insecure, but they don’t qualify for federal food assistance programs? Make food available to them in places they can easily access — like clinics and hospitals.
Avera Health is collaborating with Feeding South Dakota, Avera Research Institute and Avera’s Community Partnership in a pilot program to offer clinic-based food pantries, known as Wellness Pantries, to patients in Sioux Falls and Parkston, S.D.
Benefiting Communities
A donation of virtual reality headsets to for pediatric patients at Sanford Medical Center Bismarck has opened new pathways to pain management, anxiety reduction and mental stimulation.
Benefiting Communities
CommonSpirit St. Elizabeth Hospital
Fort Morgan, Colo.
CommonSpirit St. Elizabeth Hospital's Care Closet is a compassionate initiative aimed at improving the health and well-being of vulnerable individuals and families in the community.
Benefiting Communities
Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital has opened a new Applied Behavior Analysis Clinic in Riverton, Utah, that aims to address the growing need for autism services in the community.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle
For kids with cancer, challenges often don’t end when cancer ends. Returning to school can be uniquely difficult.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
St. Joseph’s Hospital
Syracuse, N.Y.
A groundbreaking surgical robot known as the ESP robotic platform is now being used at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse to treat early-stage rectal cancer and large polyps with a minimally invasive approach.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital
Durango, Colo.
In this conversation, Josh Neff, CEO of CommonSpirit Mercy Hospital, discusses a new cutting-edge communication platform that sends patient EKGs directly from the ambulance to the cardiologist in real time.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC
The Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology divisions at the Medical University of South Carolina teamed up to create and test an algorithm for treating children with sickle cell disease who arrived at the ED with a fever.
The algorithm helps providers better determine which kids should be admitted and who should go home for treatment with close follow-up from the hospital.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, S.C.
When a patient has depression, often the first medical professional to spot it is their primary care provider, thanks to routine screenings many offices offer. However, getting under the care of a behavioral health professional may involve a long wait — and the patient needs help now.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
West Virginia University Children's Hospital
Morgantown, W.V.
Hypospadias, a birth defect that results in a baby boy’s urethra forming at the underside of the penis rather than the tip, is commonly corrected through a surgery performed six months to a year after birth.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center
Las Vegas
Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas recently introduced technology to treat heart rhythm disorders, building on the hospital’s earlier success using pulse field ablation — the delivery of electrical pulses to kill cells causing the irregular heart rhythm.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
In this conversation, Ajay Gupta speaks about the vital role hospital boards play in preparing for and responding to cyber incidents.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Cedars-Sinai
Los Angeles
Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles is reaching for the stars with the May launch of its Center for Space Medicine Research. The center studies space biomedicine, a branch of medicine that examines the physiological and biological effects of spaceflight on the human body.
Prevention and Wellness
OHSU Hospital
Portland, Ore.
In this new “Caring for Our Kids” episode, David Wagner, Ph.D., pediatric psychologist at OHSU, discusses the Novel Interventions in Children's Healthcare (NICH) program, and how this innovative approach is transforming care for vulnerable children.
Prevention and Wellness
Doernbecher Children's Hospital
Portland, Ore.
OHSU Doernbecher launched the Nourish program in 2022 to provide parents and caregivers with food during hospital stays.
Prevention and Wellness
Texas Children's Hospital
Houston, Texas
The journey isn’t over after a child beats cancer — at least not at Texas Children’s Hospital.
Prevention and Wellness
Englewood Health
Englewood, N.J.
In this conversation, Vinnidhy Dave, D.O., hospice specialist and director of palliative medicine at Englewood Health Physician Network, and Lauren Savage, director of population health at Englewood Hospital, discuss what Englewood Health is doing to prevent opioid use in its communities.
Prevention and Wellness
Henry Ford Health
Detroit, Mich.
The SOS MATERNITY Network, led by Wayne State University’s Office of Women’s Health, has been launched to address high maternal and infant mortality rates in Michigan.
Prevention and Wellness
Northern Light Health
Brewer, Maine
Northern Light Mercy Hospital’s Cancer Survivorship Clinic helps patients who have finished cancer treatment rebuild their health and enjoy a high quality of life.
Prevention and Wellness
Access to high-quality health care is crucial to a community’s well-being, but it’s not the only component of health.
Prevention and Wellness
Hartford HealthCare
Hartford, Conn.
Since opening its doors in 1824, Hartford HealthCare’s Institute of Living has prioritized providing quality care and “moral treatment” to patients and families. The institute’s team is now introducing the concept of “radical recovery” as it works to reshape behavioral health care.
Prevention and Wellness
University of Vermont Medical
Center Burlington, Vt.
The holiday season can bring incredible joy as well as considerable pressure to spend money — lots of it — on gifts. For some people, holiday gift-giving can cause anxiety and even prompt compulsive behavior.
Workforce
In this podcast that highlights a new report from the AHA detailing these factors, Philip Pandolph, president and CEO, Meadville (PA) Medical Center and Chair of the AHA Rural Health Services Committee, explains how rising costs for supplies and equipment, drugs, and labor, along with inflation and razor thin margins has left his hospital vulnerable.