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
UVA Health
Charlottesville, Va.
Scientist develops experimental drug that reverses MS-related paralysis and vision loss in lab model
A UVA Health scientist has developed an experimental drug that reversed paralysis and vision loss in a laboratory mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), offering a potential new therapy for a disease that currently has no cure.
Innovation, Research, and Quality Improvement
UMass Memorial Health – Harrington
Charlton, Mass.
The Wound Care Center at Harrington at Charlton, part of UMass Memorial Health, offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat complex wounds such as severe diabetic foot ulcers, burns, gangrene, and infections of tissues or bone that cause tissue death.
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.
Prevention and Wellness
UVA Health
Charlottesville, Va.
Scientist develops experimental drug that reverses MS-related paralysis and vision loss in lab model
A UVA Health scientist has developed an experimental drug that reversed paralysis and vision loss in a laboratory mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), offering a potential new therapy for a disease that currently has no cure.
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.
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
Survive & Thrive is a program at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital that aims to provide a range of support and care to childhood cancer survivors.
Ensuring Access to Care
Access to high-quality health care is crucial to a community’s well-being, but it’s not the only component of health.
Ensuring Access to Care
In this conversation, Jennifer Richards, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Center for Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Jennifer Crawford, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and assistant professor at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, discuss the perspectives needed to provide maternal care for Indigenous peoples.
Ensuring Access to Care
In this conversation, Kimberly Wozneak, national lead for Age-Friendly Health Systems, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, discusses how the VHA is weaving four foundational age-friendly principles into its care to support the growing number of aging veterans.
Ensuring Access to Care
In observation of Veterans Day, Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, and Kara Walker, M.D., executive vice president and chief population health officer at Nemours Children’s Health, discuss how hospitals and health systems can meet the special health care needs for families who sacrifice the most.
Ensuring Access to Care
Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, part of MaineHealth, is working to ensure children have access to quality oral health care, even before a child gets their first tooth.
Ensuring Access to Care
In this conversation, Johnna Nynas, M.D., OB/GYN at Sanford Health Bemidji, discusses the dramatic expansion of maternal telehealth capabilities in Minnesota.
Ensuring Access to Care
Ensuring Access to Care
Providence Swedish Rehabilitation Hospital
Lynwood, Wash.
Residents of Snohomish Country, Wash., now have a new space for comprehensive rehabilitative care — which, as a result, opens crucial bedspace for non-rehab patients.
Benefiting Communities
Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas
Overland Park, Kan.
Children’s Mercy has announced the opening of its new Partial Hospitalization Program to support children and adolescents facing serious medical and mental health challenges.
Benefiting Communities
Saint Francis Hospital
Tulsa, Okla.
Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Okla., earned a Level I Trauma Center verification from the American College of Surgeons — the highest designation for trauma care in the U.S.
Benefiting Communities
Oklahoma Hospital Association
Oklahoma
Since 2020, the Oklahoma Hospital Association has worked with health care systems across the state in partnership with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma to provide patients and families with fresh produce, pantry staples and ready-to-eat meals.
Benefiting Communities
University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital
Iowa City, Iowa
At University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, 5-year-old James Hall is being treated for Langerhans cell histiocytosis, a rare cancer-like disorder that affects only one to two newborns out of every million.
Benefiting Communities
Ascension St. John Medical Center
Tulsa, Okla.
Ascension St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla., has been verified as a Level I Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Benefiting Communities
UCHealth
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Dr. Robert Hoyer, an oncologist with UCHealth in Colorado Springs, dedicates one week each month to providing cancer care in rural southeast Colorado, where access to specialized medical services is limited.
Benefiting Communities
St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center
Lewiston, Maine
St. Mary’s Health System has expanded its behavioral and mental health services to help close gaps and ensure a continuum of care services in the community.
Benefiting Communities
Penn State Health
Reading, Pa.
Angela Shuman, a community health nurse with Penn State Health, plays a vital role in supporting residents of Reading, Pa., through monthly health check-ins at New Heightz Grocery Store. Her warm, personal approach — like hugging regulars and offering gentle reminders about medication — has built deep trust within the community.
Benefiting Communities
Alaska Native Medical Center
Anchorage
In a hands-on workshop at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Tlingit seal hunter Tim Ackerman demonstrates the traditional method of butchering a harbor seal to a group of chefs, nutritionists and cultural practitioners.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle, Wash.
Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle are testing a simple idea with surprisingly big potential: a special type of foam that makes gene therapy more efficient.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Ochsner Heath
Louisiana
Ochsner Health is the first health care provider in Louisiana to offer artificial intelligence (AI)-powered technology to support treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a condition affecting more than 6.1 million Americans.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Larry Pierce, director of cybersecurity and information security officer for Atlantic Health, unpacks how the growth of AI is reshaping cyber risk in health care, and why physical security is now inseparable from cybersecurity for America's hospitals and health systems.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Virginia Gay Hospital
Vinton, Iowa
In this conversation, Tina Eden, R.N., CEO of Virginia Gay Hospital, and Jacinda Bunch, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor at the Iowa College of Nursing and senior advisor to Simulation in Motion-Iowa (SIM-IA), dive into how this mobile clinical education program (SIM-IA) is delivering high-impact simulation training directly to rural hospitals and EMS teams.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Henry Ford Health
Detroit, Mich.
In this conversation, Wendy Kim, DNP, R.N., vice president and chief nursing officer of the central market at Henry Ford Health, shares how the system's virtual nursing program is reducing documentation burden, improving patient safety and giving nurses more time at the bedside.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
University Hospitals
Cleveland, Ohio
NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is testing portable, handheld X-ray systems that could allow crews to diagnose injuries such as broken bones or dental issues without returning to Earth.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Providence Alaska Medical Center
Anchorage, Ala.
This fall, Providence Alaska Medical Center launched a new mobile mammography coach designed to bring high-quality breast cancer screening directly to rural communities across the state.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Houston Methodist
Houston Texas
In this special Leadership Dialogue conversation, Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health and outgoing AHA board chair, sits down with Marc Boom, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist and incoming 2026 AHA board chair.
Innovation, Research and Quality Improvement
Providence St. Joseph Hospital Eureka
Eureka, Calif.
Providence St. Joseph Hospital Eureka in California is reporting some of its fastest emergency department wait times ever — often under 10 minutes — after launching a virtual nursing model that pairs telehealth technology with traditional bedside care.
Prevention and Wellness
Boston Medical Center
Boston, Mass.
In this conversation, Boston Medical Center’s (BMC) Jeff Schneider, M.D., the associate chief medical officer, designated institutional official, and chair of the Graduate Medical Education Committee at Boston Medical Center, and Simone Martell, director of the employee resilience program, discuss how BMC is flipping the script on resident wellness.
Prevention and Wellness
Evanston Regional Hospital
Evanston, Wyo.
Intermountain Health
Utah
The closure of labor and delivery services at Evanston Regional Hospital last December left a significant gap in prenatal care in southwestern Wyoming. Utah-based Intermountain Health has stepped in to fill the gap, ensuring that patients wouldn't be left without care.
Prevention and Wellness
Cary Medical Center
Caribou, Maine
Cary Medical Center, a 63-bed hospital in rural Caribou, Maine, created the Siruno Stroke Prevention Program to help community members develop and maintain healthy lifestyle habits.
Prevention and Wellness
Rush University Medical Center
Chicago, Ill.
n this conversation, Wrenetha Julion, Ph.D., R.N. of Rush University Medical Center, and Paul Florsheim, Ph.D. of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, discuss the collaborative Preparing for Parenthood program, success stories on how to engage fathers early in the pregnancy journey, and what supporting dads means for stronger and healthier families.
Prevention and Wellness
Five hospitals within the LCMC Health system have earned the Louisiana Birth Ready or Birth Ready+ Designation, a recognition awarded by the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative (LaPQC).
Prevention and Wellness
Hartford HealthCare
Hartford, Conn.
Hartford HealthCare’s Diabetes and Endocrinology program offers classes, individual counseling sessions, monthly support groups, resources and special events designed to help people with diabetes take care of themselves and prevent long-term complications.
Prevention and Wellness
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is growing its integrated, multidisciplinary care for infants and children who have been exposed to opioids while in utero.
Prevention and Wellness
Juno, a 66-pound blonde with four paws, a sassy smile and a fondness for carrying stuffed animals in her mouth, spent six years providing comfort and companionship to patients and staff members at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Ky.
Prevention and Wellness
MaineHealth
Portland, Maine
At MaineHealth, increasing access to healthy food in the community starts at its hospital campuses.
Workforce
University of Maryland Medical System
Eastern Shore, Md.
More than 1 million people in Maryland live in medically underserved areas — mostly on the state’s rural Eastern Shore. The University of Maryland School of Medicine aims to change that.
Workforce
In this conversation, Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., CEO and president of Dartmouth Health, and 2024 chair of the AHA Board of Trustees, shares how Dartmouth Health has implemented workforce solutions that can be successful anywhere.
Workforce
In this conversation, Kimberly Wozneak, national lead for Age-Friendly Health Systems, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, discusses how the VHA is weaving four foundational age-friendly principles into its care to support the growing number of aging veterans.
Workforce
East Alabama Medical Center
Opelika, Ala.
East Alabama Health, like many health systems, is facing a shortage of nursing professionals. To address the problem, EAH didn’t have to look far – just to their own employees.
Workforce
UW Health, Madison, Wis.
American Family Children's Hospital, Madison, Wis.
In this special Veterans Day conversation, Anne Mork, R.N., vice president/chief nursing officer of ambulatory and nursing support services at UW Health, and Luke Sticht, former vice president and chief nursing officer of American Family Children's Hospital, discuss the wealth of knowledge that military health care professionals can bring to organizations, and how their service experience keeps them focused on the mission to care for others.
Workforce
In this conversation, Michelle Schweitzer, NP, executive director of advanced practice providers at WakeMed, discusses the growing role her APP colleagues play in health care delivery, and how the rise of these unique caregivers benefits both patients and providers.
Workforce
In this conversation, Stacey Ouellette, director of Behavioral Health Integration with Maine Behavioral Healthcare, discusses the positive impact integrated care has had on workplace productivity and satisfaction, and how it's made their teams more connected across the organization.
Workforce
Petersburg Medical Center
Petersburg, Ala.
Petersburg Medical Center in Petersburg, Alaska, has ushered in a new era of breast cancer detection with the arrival of its advanced 3D mammography machine.
Workforce
University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, N.Y.
In this new "Safety Speaks" conversation, Michael Privitera, M.D., professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Rochester Medical Center, discusses ways to ease the cognitive load that many physicians and caregivers face, and how simple steps can be implemented to make it easier to focus on what's most important.