COVINGTON, Louisiana – St. Tammany Health System President and CEO Joan Coffman, FACHE, has been elected as an at-large delegate to the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board 7 for a two-year term ending Dec. 31, 2024.
AHA Regional Policy Boards discuss policy issues and alternatives. The boards then make recommendations and provide analyses to the AHA Board of Trustees for use in their policy deliberations.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with leaders from around the country and provide insight and awareness of the unique needs of our health system and region during these unprecedented times in healthcare,” Coffman said. “We have much to be proud of, and it is a privilege to represent our organization and influence public policy in support of our patients and community.”
Coffman, who has been at St. Tammany Health System since 2018, is no stranger to advocating for community health needs at the state and federal government level. She previously served as a member of the AHA Small and Rural Hospitals Governing Council, the federal Rural Hospital Issues Group, the Wisconsin Hospital Association Board of Directors and Wisconsin’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse. She was also the 2017 recipient of the American Hospital Association’s Grassroots Champion award.
Coffman is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and was recently named to the 2021 Class of New Orleans CityBusiness Women of the Year and Nonprofit Organizations.
#####
About STHS
The heartbeat of its community, St. Tammany Health System cares for patients and families with excellence, compassion and teamwork. It is recognized for quality, safety and service excellence by CareChex, Leapfrog, Healthgrades, Hospital Compare, Women’s Choice and US News & World Report. St. Tammany Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 and Ochsner Health work together in partnership to improve the community’s health and quality of life. Together, west St. Tammany’s top two independent health leaders represent the most complete system of care, aligning behind the common goals of improving access, expanding specialty care and making care affordable. Under their agreement, each retains its autonomy; neither manages nor owns the other. Self-supporting, not-for-profit STHS is AA- rated by Fitch and receives no tax funding. More at StTammany.health
About AHA The American Hospital Association represents and serves all types of hospitals, healthcare networks, their patients and communities. Nearly 5,000 hospitals, healthcare systems, networks other providers of care and 43,000 individual members come together to form the AHA. Through representation and advocacy activities, AHA ensures that members' perspectives and needs are heard and addressed in national health policy development, legislative and regulatory debates, and judicial matters. Its advocacy efforts include the legislative and executive branches and include the legislative and regulatory arenas. Founded in 1898, AHA provides education for healthcare leaders and is a source of information on healthcare issues and trends. More at AHA.org