BY John Hawkins, President/CEO, Texas Hospital Association
Just weeks ago, Texas hospitals were bracing for a funding cliff that would have been detrimental to the healthcare safety net and jeopardized access to critical care. Instead, thanks to the approval of essential Medicaid funds, that crisis was averted. This victory didn’t happen by chance, but because hospital leaders showed up: in legislative hearings, in meetings with lawmakers and in the media, making the case for real patients in real communities.
That win is a reminder of something bigger. Hospitals are more than buildings where people go when they are sick – they are the backbone of their communities, providing lifesaving care, supporting thousands of jobs and keeping essential services available for families, regardless of their insurance coverage or ability to pay.
But hospitals cannot provide that care without adequate funding, the staff to care for patients or the proper infrastructure in place. And none of that is possible without strong leadership.
This month, the Texas Hospital Association held its annual conference in Fort Worth, where leaders from across the state came together to connect and address the biggest challenges facing healthcare in Texas. Hospital executives, trustees, administrators and clinicians spent two days confronting the issues that will define the next chapter of care in our state: workforce shortages, behavioral health challenges, rising costs, affordability and the ever-shifting policy landscape in Texas. The Medicaid victory was fresh on everyone’s mind – proof of what is possible when hospital leaders speak with one voice.
When hospital leaders share their experiences, data and stories, they help policymakers understand how decisions made at the Capitol translate into real-world consequences for patients and communities.
That kind of change does not happen in isolation, nor does it happen overnight. It takes strong relationships with policymakers built long before the next hearing or budget conversation – not once a crisis is already underway. Healthcare policy is ultimately about people; legislators and elected officials need to hear directly from those delivering care about what is working, what is not and what communities need.
That is one of the most important purposes of gatherings like THA’s annual conference. We come together not simply to hear from experts, but to build relationships, exchange ideas and learn from one another – creating the understanding that makes change possible.
The healthcare industry is under more pressure than at almost any point in recent memory. Labor costs remain elevated. Reimbursement hasn’t kept pace with the cost of care. And the demand for services, especially behavioral health and maternal care, continues to grow in communities that already have too few providers.
Texas hospitals will keep meeting that demand. But they can do so only with sustained investment, sound policy and leaders willing to keep showing up for the hard conversations – at the Capitol, in boardrooms and in their own hallways. The challenges facing Texas healthcare are significant, but so is the expertise and commitment of the people working to solve them. As we look toward the next legislative session and the years ahead, we will need that collective strength more than ever. We need leaders who are willing to listen, share ideas, speak up and work across organizational and geographic boundaries.
Because when leaders connect, they do more than exchange ideas. They build the relationships that turn ideas into action – and action into meaningful change for the patients and communities we serve.
That is how we move healthcare forward in Texas.