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There has been a sharp uptick this year in ruthless tactics by cybercriminals, who are now directly threatening patients with the release of sensitive information, photos and medical records. John Riggi, AHA national advisor for cybersecurity and risk, talks with two experts about the rise in these tactics and what’s needed to fight back and prepare against these threat-to-life crimes.

The AHA July 24 shared information and new offerings from some of its private sector partners that can help hospitals and health systems strengthen their cybersecurity efforts and defend against and deflect cyberattacks.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration July 24 announced it is awarding $45.1 million in grants toward various behavioral health initiatives.

Winners of the Foster G. McGaw prize, the Quest for Quality prize and the Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award were presented at the 2024 AHA Leadership Summit.

Joy Lewis, AHA senior vice president of health equity strategies and executive director of AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, shared the stage with Dayna Bowen Matthew, author and law professor at George Washington University Law School, to explore the fundamental issues of health equity and actionable strategies to ensure equitable health opportunities for all people.

AHA Immediate Past Chair John Haupert, president and CEO of Grady Health System in Atlanta, opened the afternoon plenary session during the second day of the Summit discussing how health care has f

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued an advisory alerting health care providers, laboratory professionals and others in health care settings of a critical shortage of Becton Dickinson BACTEC blood culture bottles.

Rosalyn Carpenter and Paul Rains, R.N., write about the importance of fostering an inclusive environment to reduce stigma around behavioral health care for historically underserved communities.

The Department of Health and Human Services July 23 released an amendment to a 2013 emergency declaration under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act that broadens the scope in which the agency can help facilitate certain medical countermeasures in response to a public health emergency such as a pandemic.

During the July 22 morning plenary session, Stacey Hughes, AHA’s executive vice president of government relations and public policy, moderated a panel with Paul Begala, political analyst and commentator for CNN, and Scott Jennings, CNN contributor, conservative columnist and former presidential advisor.

The AHA Board of Trustees elected Marc L. Boom, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Houston Methodist, based in Houston, as its chair-elect designate.

AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack opened the 2024 AHA Leadership Summit in San Diego discussing the similarities of the U.S. Navy Seals to the hospital field in its commitment to operational flexibility, team cohesion, cultural awareness, use of advanced technology, and physical and mental resilience. 

Clinicians bring all of their skill and mental acuity to treat the whole patient, but there are many factors that can derail their ability to provide patient care.

The newest in AHA’s series of People Matter, Words Matter posters, which emphasize the need for person-first language in health care settings, focuses on using caring and compassionate language about people with disabilities.

The Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare has launched its annual indexing survey for 2024, which tracks trends in the adoption of electronic transactions for routine administrative interactions between health care providers and health plans

The AHA July 19 expressed concerns to the Department of Labor about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed emergency response rule.

A non-malicious global technology outage that began in the early morning of July 19 is continuing to affect many industries and is having varying effects on hospitals and health systems across the country. The outage was caused by a faulty software update issued by the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which is widely used by businesses and government agencies that run on Microsoft computers. 

Throughout history, a huge driver of human progress has been the story of talented young minds looking at age-old problems and challenges through a fresh new lens. In today's world, this is especially true of health care, which continues to rapidly evolve as we strive to deliver superb patient care while keeping pace with changing technologies, developing care models, evolving regulations and financial challenges. Fortunately, our field is blessed with many outstanding leaders who are deftly navigating the complex health care environment and guiding their organizations to a bright future.

AdventHealth’s Be a Mindleader initiative aims to help children and parents become more comfortable discussing mental health and connect families to counseling services.

Boston Medical Center, a private, not-for-profit, equity-led academic medical center is the winner of AHA’s 2024 Foster G. McGaw Prize for its leadership and initiatives to improve care quality, care access and health equity in its surrounding community.