More than 6,500 athletes visiting Southern California for the Special Olympics World Games knew where to turn in the event of medical emergencies last weekend thanks to a HASC member-supported effort that connected their hosts with neighbor hospitals.

Close to 100 towns from San Luis Obispo to San Diego hosted participants for a three-day period of sightseeing and cultural exchange before events launched this week. Upon arrival, organizers knew that people with intellectual and other disabilities might arrive with special medical needs.

The 2015 CHPAC Campaign has begun. The 2015 CHPAC goal for the HASC region is $357,200 in a statewide effort to raise $1,100,000.

HASC thanks the following member hospitals that have reached or surpassed their 2014 CHPAC campaign goal:

Please join HASC and CHPAC for a Presidents’ Club reception on Wednesday, March 12. The luncheon, set to immediately follow the HASC Board Meeting, will take place 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Jonathan Club, Reagan Room.

The event is intended for hospital executive members in the HASC region and is complimentary for Individual and Corporate CHPAC Presidents’ Club Members. Please RSVP online at www.calhospital.org/jonathan-club.

HASC thanks the following member hospitals for meeting or surpassing their goals in 2013:

Audra Strickland has joined HASC as Regional Vice President of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties as of Nov. 1. She will be responsible for managing the local and regional legislative and regulatory issues affecting the health care delivery system in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, as identified by the hospitals located in that region.

Is it good policy or just plain politics? A new blog with Marty Gallegos, SVP, Health Policy and Communications, HASC, poses this question related to hot topics of immediate concern to our membership, lawmakers and the public.

Two additional HASC member hospitals have recently met or surpassed their 2013 CHPAC campaign goal: Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital and San Bernardino Mountains Community Hospital.

Other hospitals meeting these criteria include:

Ballard Rehabilitation Hospital
Catalina Island Medical Center
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Desert Valley Hospital
Olympia Medical Center
Pacific Alliance Medical Center
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital

California now leads the nation in the number of hospitals voluntarily pledging to participate in the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Partnership for Patients initiative, with nearly 400 hospitals signing on.

HASC encourages member hospitals to cross link with Caring Is Our Calling, CHA Public Advocacy Program’s new patient safety campaign that highlights the advancements community hospitals are making.

RSVP today for the Diabetes Fall Health Summit, a partnership presentation by Assemblymember Roger Hernandez, City of Hope, First 5 LA, Kaiser and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.

The summit will include three components: Healthy People, in which clinical experts will discuss diabetes prevention, research and the latest treatments; Healthy Places, with a focus on how cities are building healthy communities; and Resources for Creating Healthy Communities.

Health facility CEOs, administrators, public information officers, emergency managers and other decision makers are invited to attend the Los Angeles County Health Facilities Communication Summit.

This summit will convene hospital, clinic and long-term care facility leaders, communicators, disaster experts and local government to discuss disaster preparedness to better integrate efforts to save lives in the wake of potential earthquakes, wild fires, health emergencies and other natural and man-made disasters.

Submit your nominations now for the 2012 Hospital Hero Awards. The awards focus on outstanding direct patient care above and beyond the call of duty.

HASC and CHA support the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA), and encourage hospital members to learn more about the Californians Allied for Patient Protection (CAPP) for up-to-date information on MICRA.

Congratulations to the winners and nominees of the 6th Annual Hospital Hero Awards held November 11 at the Marriott Hotel - Downtown Los Angeles. Master of Ceremonies and ABC news reporter Rick Romero helped celebrate 42 nominees from hospitals in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Santa Barbara counties, all outstanding contributors to their facilities and communities.

Nomination forms for the 6^th Annual Hospital Hero Awards are available at www.hasc.org/2011hospitalheroawards.

The event will be held Friday, Nov. 11, at the Marriott Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles. The Hospital Hero Awards, produced by HASC, honors outstanding achievements and events that occur within hospitals throughout the HASC region. Proceeds from the event benefit the National Health Foundation (NHF).

In its first year, Patient Safety First…a California Partnership for Health, reports that it has helped save 800 lives by working to prevent sepsis-related deaths. Launched in 2010, Patient Safety First is a groundbreaking three-year, $6-million collaboration between the National Health Foundation, California’s Regional Hospital Associations, and Anthem Blue Cross to improve the consistency and quality of health care for Californians.

The 6th Annual Hospital Hero Awards will be held Friday, November 11, 2011, at the Marriott Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles.

A Conversation with OSHPD and the Hospital Association on Hospital Facility Projects is scheduled for Monday, July 25, 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the USC Davidson Conference Center in Los Angeles.