IHA Launches ‘What’s at Stake: The Health of Illinois Communities’ Advocacy Campaign
IHA is pleased to announce the launch of What’s at Stake: The Health of Illinois Communities, a new statewide advocacy campaign designed to elevate a simple but powerful truth: Communities win when local hospitals are strong.
The campaign provides hospital leaders with timely data, analysis, and customizable resources to help policymakers better understand both the value hospitals deliver and the mounting pressures that threaten access to care across Illinois.
The campaign highlights four key issues: financial stressors, workforce pressures, regulatory burden and community impact. Using clear, accessible data, the materials examine operating margins, Medicaid cuts stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), payer challenges, workforce shortages, Illinois’ medical liability environment, service line reductions, administrative burden, and the broader economic and community impact of hospitals. Copies of this new report are being mailed to each CEO and to each hospital’s Government Relations leader.
In addition to the print and electronic report, the campaign also includes a downloadable slide deck for presentations and four issue-specific one-page briefs for use with legislators:
IHA has also updated its companion resource, Legislative Relationships: The Cornerstone of Effective Advocacy, which offers practical guidance and templates to help hospitals plan and host effective meetings with lawmakers. Resources include a detailed legislative meeting agenda template and planning guide; sample meeting invitation; thank you note; and press release template.
Together, these tools will help hospitals highlight essential services, share their community impact, and clearly communicate the challenges facing Illinois’ healthcare system. Hospitals are encouraged to begin using these materials in their advocacy outreach immediately.
Staff contact: Valerie Culver
THIS WEEK: Medical Solutions Webinar on Leading Through Change March 19
Get strategies to build trust, strengthen team stability, and lead through organizational and industry-wide change: Attend a complimentary webinar from IHA Strategic Partner Medical Solutions. The noon-1 p.m. CT session this Thursday, March 19, will spotlight:
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Core leadership behaviors that cultivate trust and psychological safety amid change;
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Strategies to support stability, communication and engagement across nursing teams; and
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Actionable approaches for leading through uncertainty with confidence and authenticity.
There is no fee to attend. Click here to register. See IHA’s flyer to learn more about Medical Solutions, a successful, long-term IHA Strategic Partner benefiting Illinois hospitals and health systems.
Staff contact: Gary Drain
IPDH FAST PHACT SESSION: Implications of Public Health Regulations on Clinical Practice
The Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) continues to offer its “FAST PHACT” program, a series of clinician-directed interactive info sessions targeted towards raising timely awareness of emerging and high-impact public health issues that directly involve clinical care or health system considerations. All healthcare professionals are invited to participate.
The March 19 FAST PHACT session, “Trials and Tribulations: Implications of Public Health Regulations on Clinical Practice,” will take place from noon-1 p.m. CT.” Click here to register. The session will cover:
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IDPH regulatory oversight of healthcare facilities including hospitals, Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Centers and nursing homes.
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Impact of various types of healthcare facility citations with focus on “immediate jeopardy” situations.
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The clinician role in regulatory requirements at facilities.
Up to one credit hour of Continuing Medical Education credit is available for those who attend the live webinar and complete a post-webinar survey and quiz.
HHS Encourages HPH Sector to Strengthen Cyber Defenses Amid Elevated Threats
The U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a March 13 bulletin encouraging the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) sector to remain vigilant against elevated cyber threat actor risks. As demonstrated during previous periods of increased geopolitical tensions, state-sponsored and state-aligned cyber actors may increase their targeting of U.S. critical infrastructure. Refer to the bulletin for information on how to fortify your defenses, where to report incidents, and the threat actor landscape.
As recently as March 13, the U.S. Dept. of the Treasury’s Office of Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection released an alert on malware known as UltiEr.exe that may have been possessed by Iranian cyber actors in late February. UltiEr.exe is known as a wiper, a type of malware intended to permanently delete, corrupt or overwrite system data. The agency said Iranian cyber actors have used wipers in previous cyber incidents. The guidance includes detection and mitigation techniques to combat UltiEr.exe malware.
The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.
Briefly Noted
The Illinois Dept. of Revenue (IDOR) is alerting taxpayers that changes announced by the United States Postal Service (USPS) regarding postmarks could impact tax filings in 2026. While the USPS postmark will still show the date of the first automated processing operation, the postmark may no longer reflect the date when the piece of mail was dropped off at a local post office. This change can directly impact time-sensitive documents such as tax returns and payments. IDOR encourages those taxpayers who mail their returns and tax payments to do so earlier than they typically would to ensure they meet the Wednesday, April 15 filing deadline.
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Healthcare support workers and physician assistants are projected to have the lowest vulnerability to artificial intelligence among roles in the field, while medical secretaries and administrative assistants may face higher vulnerability, The Washington Post reported March 16.
