December always provides an opportune time to reflect back on the year, and as I think about 2017, I'm just so proud of all that this chapter has accomplished. We welcomed 115 new members to ACHE of MA and advanced 8 new Fellows. We hosted 19 programs/events - that's nearly one every other week - attended by a total of 1,400 people.

If you're one of people that joined us in 2017, thank you! If not, come connect in 2018. We survey participant satisfaction after every program and event, and people tell us they are glad they came. The education is excellent, but so is the opportunity to "take a few hours just to think" and to network and learn from the experience of others.

As I reflect, what impresses me most is that our accomplishments in 2017 are the result almost exclusively of the goodwill and voluntarism of our sponsors and volunteers. The chapter has a part-time paid administrator (Donna Powell), who is fantastic and indispensable, but there were 78 members who volunteered their time and leadership this year to shape and grow our chapter's impact. These people stretched themselves beyond what was needed for their (already very busy) "day job," giving in service to our larger profession. The Board and I had the opportunity to thank them in person in early December, but I also wanted to share the list of chapter volunteers here and thank them again for their contributions to ACHE of Massachusetts.

We also thanked our 17 sponsors for their generous support of our chapter. We really try to keep our programs affordable for members, and the only way we can meet that goal is through the financial contributions from our sponsors. While our sponsors are businesses, they too care about our profession and want to support healthcare leaders in their efforts to learn and grow.

On the topic of sponsors, Mike Turilli has served on the ACHE of MA Board for the past 11 years, most recently as our Sponsorship Chair. In his own thoughtful way, he has done a terrific job growing our number of sponsors and sponsorship revenue, and he will be hard to replace as he rotates off the board this month. Thank you, Mike, for your years of dedication and leadership of this critical function. We haven't historically distributed open board positions, but to widen the net of opportunity, if you have interest in joining the Board and serving as Sponsorship Chair, the job description is attached here, and please let me know directly of your interest at [email protected].

In closing, the Board had an impromptu but important discussion at its meeting earlier this month about the multiplying stories in the media lately regarding sexual harassment. Knowing that no workplace is immune - not even healthcare - the board challenged themselves to think differently about how we as leaders can ensure environments that prevent behavior that makes anyone feel uncomfortable or distracts staff from the important work of caring for patients. We wrestled with this topic, and all of us as leaders clearly need to continue to do so, but I wanted to share some guidance from ACHE that can help steer our profession and each of us individually in the execution of our leadership responsibilities. As you face this issue head-on, I encourage you to reference and refresh yourself on the ACHE Code of Ethics, especially the section on The Healthcare Executive's Responsibilities to Employees, as well as ACHE's Policy Statement on Preventing and Addressing Workplace Abuse : Inappropriate and Disruptive Behavior.

Right now, there are patients in our hospitals and families in our waiting rooms for whom, sadly, this will not be a joyous time of year. Let us remember them, support them in seeking strength and grace in the face of uncertainty, and be grateful for the humbling opportunity to be of service to others in their moments of greatest need.

All my best wishes to you and your families for a healthy holiday season,

Andrea Paciello