AHA’s Committee on Behavioral Health names 2024 chair, chair-elect and new members

Mar 08, 2024 - 03:11 PM
board_decision_900x400.jpg

Jill Howard, R.N., senior consultant, Sheppard Pratt Solutions, is the 2024 chair of AHA’s Committee on Behavioral Health. Zelia Baugh, executive vice president, behavioral health, JPS Health Network (Texas), will serve as the 2024 chair-elect; and Arpan Waghray, M.D., CEO, Well-Being Trust | Providence (Washington) will serve as the 2024 past-chair.  

Joining the committee as members are Leslie Simmons, R.N., executive vice president and chief operating officer, LifeBridge Health (Maryland); Kelly Barton, president, Spring Harbor Hospital (Maine); Archana Kumar, M.D., medical director, Cone Health Behavioral Health Hospital (North Carolina); Susan Parisi, M.D., chief wellness officer, Geisinger Health System (Pennsylvania); Thomas Saggio, R.N., director of behavioral health operations, St. Louis Children’s Hospital (Missouri); Mary Sparks Thompson, R.N., president, Trilliam Place, a Carle Health affiliate (Illinois); and Jennifer Wahkinney, R.N., chief nurse executive, Lawton Service Unit, Indian Health Service (Oklahoma).  

The committee advises AHA on policy and advocacy and provides a forum for strategic discussion of issues important to behavioral health providers and the field. For more information on AHA’s work on behavioral health, click here.

Related News Articles

Blog
Advancing Black Maternal Health Through Strategic Use of the AHA’s Health Equity Roadmap
Since 2018, Black Maternal Health Week has been a national observance from April 11–17. This annual observance was created by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance…
Headline
Deadline extended for participation in 2024 DEI Benchmark Survey
AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity March 27 began sending hospitals and health systems an email reminder to complete the 2024 DEI Benchmark Survey…
Headline
OCR updates HIPAA guidance on use of online tracking technologies
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights March 18 released updated guidance for HIPAA-covered entities and business associates on…
Blog
Bloom Where You’re Planted
My paternal grandmother was born in 1913 as the youngest of five children and the only girl. She had three sons and no daughters. When I arrived, I was the…
Blog
Purpose, Passion, and Perseverance: A Health Care Advocate's Journey
I was raised by my mother, who was a nurse, and an elder sister, who both prioritized education. During a visit to Kentucky State University, I was inspired to…
Headline
Federal court reinstates 2020 NLRB joint-employer rule
A federal court March 8 vacated the National Labor Relations Board’s 2023 rule for determining joint-employer status under the National Labor Relations Act and…