Alabama Hospital Association Inc

Grants & administrative fees: the alabama hospital association contracts with the state of alabama department of public health for the administration of grants targeting rural hospitals to include those designated as medicare critical access hospitals. one of the grants funded the following projects/initiatives: swing beds, billing and coding, education on quality measures. $107,296 was expended for this grant benefiting 36 hospitals. another grant, ship (small hospital improvement program) provides federal funds to assist 36 hospitals with 49 beds or less to implement hospital improvement programs. $430,878 was expended for this grant. the association received $112,500 in administrative fees from the above referenced grants and or contracts.

Quality: alaha continues to support hospitals statewide through a wide range of quality improvement and infection prevention initiatives to ensure the highest standard of patient care. virtual and on-site meetings with hospital quality directors and infection preventionists provide opportunities to share information, discuss challenges, and exchange best practices. twice each year, nearly 200 hospital quality leaders from member hospitals come together for a day-long quality forum conference focusing on the latest issues and trends in healthcare quality and patient safety. to strengthen the hospital workforce, for the second year running, alaha hosted another quality residency program for new quality professionals, with approximately 30 participants completing the 6-day series highlighting the essential responsibilities of the quality director. the association also conducted five regional training sessions on wound and ostomy care, attended by more than 125 participants, and will host the second annual wound certification program in september of this year through the wound care education institute. infection prevention efforts remain a core focus. alaha hosted an infection prevention bootcamp with 28 new preventionists and offered a cic certification prep course with 38 participants in fy25 and another 20 already enrolled for fy26. these initiatives are supported by on-site visits, virtual consultations, and numerous workshop presentations across the state to strengthen hospital practices and troubleshoot challenges.

Other accomplishments: during the 2025 regular session of the alabama legislature, alaha successfully advocated on priority issues to support alabama's hospitals, securing final passage of legislation to create the rural hospital investment program designed to provide al state tax credits to corporations, foundations and individuals who make financial donations to support rural hospitals. we also successfully secured a three-year renewal of the medicaid funding hospital assessment program, continued our efforts to secure financial resources to support increased access to mental health and substance abuse treatment, and initiatives focused on education to increase the healthcare workforce. we held multiple meetings and briefings with state and local government leaders in support of closing the healthcare coverage gap through an alabama-specific plan to expand medicaid. we worked on multiple regulatory issues, reviewing proposals and providing input to the state on a wide range of issues, including the licensing framework for freestanding birthing centers, the state health plan, and updates to the scope of practice rules for several disciplines of health professionals. the association dedicated staff to building and expanding the healthcare workforce, securing additional resources for broadband and telehealth, and continuing a focus on mental health. we continue aggressive advocacy and education in support of congressional reforms to the medicare reimbursement methodology, protecting and expanding 340b, and establishing guardrails to address issues related to medicare advantage problems.