2020 | May Issue
Your Quarterly News & Updates
MCACHE provides a local forum for the open exchange of information and viewpoints. In doing so, we help enhance the decision-making expertise and professional growth of the professionals with a major responsibility for healthcare management in southeastern Michigan and northwest Ohio – all while promoting the mission of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
President's Message
Well, I don’t have to tell any of you reading this what strange times we are currently living in. Instead, I am going to focus my thoughts on how to live in this new altered environment and be transparent that while this ‘shelter-in-place’ may be temporary, managing the social distancing on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis is challenging to say the least, especially if you have children at home. 

We all have access to a plethora of coronavirus guidelines, protocols, statistics and curves, so I thought I’d share some links to articles and insights on how we can experience some good news, take a break from reading about COVID-19, and present ways to cope with our new normal. 

One of the more interesting articles I recently came across was from the New York Times and it discusses that during a crisis, the people who cope the best are those who are helping others. They call this a “helper’s high” as explained in The Science of Helping Out . It goes on to say, “At a time when we are all experiencing an extraordinary level of stress, science offers a simple and effective way to bolster our own emotional health. To help yourself, start by helping others.”

It appears many people are actively searching for good news as well, with a good news video on YouTube surpassing 25 million views in one week according to another article in the New York Times entitled,   The News Is Making People Anxious. You’ll Never Believe What They’re Reading Instead .   I n response, National Geographic has created two good news-themed newsletters.  One is focused on kids and families. The other is a
coronavirus-free newsletter titled  Your Weekly Escape.

I hope these resources are of some value to you. I certainly wish you all the best as we manage through this. Stay home. Stay healthy. Stay positive. We are all in this together…even if we’re apart. 

Michelle Hornberger, FACHE
Regent's Message
Thomas Lanni, Jr., FACHE
Regent, Michigan and Northwest Ohio

COVID-19 Resources
 
I am hoping that this message finds you and your family well during these unprecedented times. The COVID-19 outbreak has definitely created some major life-changing events and uncertainty for our teams across healthcare. Thank you for the tireless work that you and your organizations are doing to serve your patients and communities daily.
ACHE is strongly encouraging chapters to use available technology tor provide virtual education opportunities when available. If the topic is directly related to health management and administration, attendees can claim the education for ACHE Qualified Education Credit. ACHE staff and the Board of Governors are closely monitoring the effects of COVID-19 on the national organization and chapters. ACHE is now working to re-purpose Congress context to be available for chapters to use later this year. Additional information related to COVID-19 and AHCE can be found on the following link:  https://www.ache.org/learning-center/education-and-events/event-resources/safety-and-wellbeing
 
2019 & 2020 Fellows Recertification Class
·   For those in the 2019 recertification class that received an extension to complete the requirements by March 31, this extension has been continued for the class to complete all requirements and submit the recertification application and fee by Dec. 31, 2020.
·   For those who are due to complete their recertification requirements in 2020, ACHE has extended the deadline to complete requirements, submit recertification application, and pay recertification fee until March 31, 2021.

Completion of Continuing Education Activities
Recertifying Fellows must complete a minimum of 36 continuing education hours related to healthcare management and administration within the last three (3) years.
  • Twelve (12) hours must be ACHE Face-to-Face Education.
  • The balance of 24 hours may be additional ACHE Face-to-Face education hours or Qualified Education from other organizations that provide healthcare management and administration education.
  • OR Re-take and Pass the Board of Governors Exam
Recertifying Fellows may re-take the Board of Governors Exam in lieu of
demonstrating continuing education hours earned. If Fellows wish to recertify by
Exam, please contact ACHE Customer Service at [email protected] .

  • Completion of four (4) volunteer activities
1) Volunteer activities must be completed during the previous three (3) years or
since the last recertification.
2) Recertifying Fellows must complete/participate in two (2) healthcare-related
activities and two (2) community/civic activities.
  • Recertification Fee of $200 - For each three-year interval, there is a recertification fee of $200. The fee must be paid when the recertification application is submitted.

Some of our members may want to take advantage of a recertification waiver. Recertification Waivers: Fellows age 60 or older and planning to retire in the next five years may be eligible to receive a five-year recertification waiver. With this waiver, Fellows are exempt from recertifying during their mandatory recertification year and throughout the subsequent four years. Unemployed Fellows can also request a recertification waiver.  
This Issue's Theme:
COVID-19
Medija Shaska, MS, PMP
Last December, I made a resolution to serve in a more active role in the professional organizations that I belonged to. After all, it was a great time in my life: work was going well, and the kids were older so I didn’t need to attend as many basketball games and ballet recitals as in previous years.

In February, I joined MCACHE’s Communication Committee and jumped right in and was feeling pretty good about getting involved with this creative and hardworking group. Plus, I love writing and working in healthcare there’s never a shortage of wonderful and uplifting stories to share.

In the first couple of days in March, I received my very first assignment. I was going to write about Coronavirus, this new threat that healthcare institutions were starting to prepare for. At that time, that’s all Coronavirus was, a distant threat, sort of out there, but really not disturbing our work and our lives. The article was supposed to be light, more about the preparations that my employer and other organizations were making to tackle it, if this was going to spread. The deadline for my article was the end of April, and over the next few weeks, I was going to collect data and news clippings to support the topic. I was prepared, I had a theme and ideas and was roaring to go…

Needless to say, my article doesn’t resemble at all that original idea and vision. During the last few weeks, my world has changed in unimaginable ways. Of course, the world has changed for most folks and unfortunately COVID-19 (as Coronavirus was later renamed), has claimed many lives, while affecting the health and well-being of many others. In a few short weeks we have gone from living lives filled with work in offices and other settings, dining out, attending sporting events, and making plans for upcoming birthdays, graduations, and weddings, to essentially being shut in our homes, asked to stay there in order to stop the spread of this invisible, but potent enemy. 

The daily news reports are filled with the number of people infected and deaths throughout the world, plus stories of health systems in countries large and small fighting this virus. We have experienced long lines when going to the stores, shortages of hand sanitizers, cleaning supplies, and food items, and even runs on toilet paper! Going to shop for food now somewhat resembles a zombie movie, where you want to be done as soon as possible without being noticed! We are to keep our physical distance and even wear masks because we could be vulnerable or worse, we could spread the virus and hurt someone even a loved one! The economic costs are yet to be tallied, but we hear daily of layoffs, furloughs, and increased numbers of unemployment claims. Needless to say, we are all anxious, grieving, and fearing the unknown.

As I see the faint lights of slowdown of this global pandemic, I wonder what the future will be like? Being the eternal optimist, I hope that not only we triumph, but we come out on the other end, having learned some long-lasting, positive lessons.

I hope that we have understood that we all have fears of what our future will be like for us, our families and friends. I believe that we have learned that we all need good medical care and especially that we need to take better care of ourselves. I speculate that we learned that no large armies or powerful economic engines can protect us against even the smallest creatures in nature, and we need to respect nature and all its parts, in order for us to have a chance to live and thrive.

As Sarah Zhang of The Atlantic recently put it: “29. That’s the number of proteins that the new coronavirus has, at most, in its arsenal to attack human cells. That’s 29 proteins to go up against upwards of tens of thousands of proteins comprising the vastly more complex and sophisticated human body. Twenty-nine proteins that have taken over enough cells in enough bodies to kill people and grind the world to a halt”.

I cringe to think what a more complex virus or bacteria could do to us, to our health, to our economy, and to our world. I am hopeful we never have to find out, because we have learned during these trying times that we can only survive and thrive by standing together and helping each other. 
Congratulations, Angela DeLaere, MBA, FACHE and Robin Damschroder, MHSA, FACHE !
Angela DeLaere, MBA, FACHE, is chair of the student activities committee. Recently, she was recommended by Christine Stesney-Ridenour, MBA, FACHE, to the ACHE National Credential Committee. She was appointed to the 3- year position and was supposed to be officially sworn in during the March Congress which was cancelled. She started her duties in mid-April. In this position she will review all the ACHE credentialing policies.
Robin Damschroder, MHSA, FACHE, was recently recognized by Crain's Business 2020 as a Notable Woman in Finance. Read more .
ACHE Quarterly Content
COVID-19 Resources

Thank you for the work you are doing in your healthcare organizations and communities to manage the impact of COVID-19 and take care of patients. We are well aware these are extraordinary times for you as leaders. 

We hope you are leveraging your professional network as you learn from others how to respond to COVID-19 in your own communities. For our part, we have mined our content to consolidate helpful resources. They can be found at   ache.org/COVID.

To expand these resources for you, we are also joining together with eight leading healthcare associations (listed below) in an effort to mobilize the full strength of our collective knowledge. Together, we are offering our best combined resources at no charge in an effort to overcome COVID-19.

We encourage you to visit the websites of our partner organizations listed below, and to use the available information. These resources are being updated on a regular basis as more information becomes available.


There are also other resources such as the Social Media How-to Guide that provides members a guide on how to best utilize social media platforms.
_______________________________________________________________________
2020 Dues Payment Extension

ACHE is extending its membership renewal date to June 1. Please make sure you have renewed your membership.

Here’s the renewal link

_______________________________________________________________________
Board of Governors Exam Fee Waiver Campaign Extended Through July 31

Inspiring your chapter members to take the next important step for their career by advancing to Fellow status benefits their professional goals and strengthens the healthcare management profession. Encourage them to submit their Fellow applications with our Board of Governors Exam fee waiver offer (a savings of $225), which has been extended through July 31. Fellow applicants must submit their completed Fellow application, $250 application fee and all required documents, such as their references and organization chart, by July 31.

Visit  ache.org/FACHE  t o learn more. Let your chapter members know they can apply online. Also, consider coordinating exam study groups with them around this offer .
Share Stories of Coronavirus
The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has us all facing and dealing with issues never anticipated in our lifetime. Th latest NRC survey data, indicates the situation has revealed the degree of trust that Americans have invested in their caregivers. People are turning to healthcare organizations for leadership, information, and
stability as we weather this unprecedented crisis in public health ( https://nrchealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Consumer-sentiment-data-on-the-coronavirus-pandemic.pdf ).

Membership in the Midwest Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (MCACHE) affords the opportunity to network with other innovative leaders to identify solutions to issues in healthcare. For the past several weeks, we as Healthcare leaders have had to face tremendous challenges in responding to and planning for the COVID-19 pandemic. MCACHE understands that by working together, we can help each other address the issues and obstacles we are facing now and in the coming weeks. If you have problem you are still attempting to address or a solution you would like to share with MCACHE members or would like to share accomplishments, C lick Here to View/Share Stories with MCACHE Members on LinkedIn and Facebook

If you would like to directly contact MCACHE colleagues, please use the ACHE membership directory or contact Susan Stokes [email protected] t and she can help you locate individuals.
Welcome to Our New Members
Carolyn Baker, DBE, MPH, MBA, Ma
Desi Baumann
Carol Becker
Maureen G. Bennett
Brandon Brown
Lisa Casey, DO
Sairia Dass Ramcharan, MD. PhD
Christopher Dinolfo
Nancy Drury
Andreea Duma, MHA
Pamela Flannery, PhD
Ross Fortman
Adeeb Harb
Nicole Holloway
Bazil Ifekoya
Melony Johnson, MHA
Tony Madison
Brandon R. McKenney
Kushant Shah, DPT, MBA
Monica R. Sierra, MS
Ben Smith
Danelle Wancour, MSN, RN
Shaun A. Zieh

Diamond Spotlight
Beaumont Health is Michigan’s largest health care system and is most preferred for health care in Southeast Michigan, according to NRC Health survey data. The not-for-profit organization was created to provide patients with greater access to compassionate, extraordinary care, every day. Beaumont Health has a total net revenue of $4.7 billion and consists of eight hospitals with 3,429 beds, 145 outpatient sites, nearly 5,000 physicians, 38,000 employees and 3,500 volunteers. In 2018, Beaumont Health had about 178,000 inpatient discharges, 18,000 births and 573,000 emergency visits. For more information, visit beaumont.org .
Thank you to our MCACHE 2020 Sponsors
Diamond
Platinum
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Contact Us

Stay up to date on MCACHE events at our website here (all events are temporarily on hold until the "stay-at-home" order is lifted.)

We want to hear from you… If you have suggestions or story ideas for the newsletter, please contact:

Chairs:
Erika Arndt Communications Committee Chairperson [email protected]
David Spatt Communications Committee Co-Chairperson [email protected]

Website:
Susan Stokes [email protected]

Social Media Coordinators:
Tayler Thelen: [email protected]
Caitlyn N. Hakim [email protected]

Contact MCACHE at: [email protected]

Stay Connected
Are any of your colleagues not receiving MCACHE Chapter emails? Please advise them to add [email protected] to their safe senders or safe recipients list. 
  
Please Note: Internal corporate systems may still cause our emails to be caught in spam filters, in which case they need to have [email protected] added to their "good list".