Greetings and Happy Holidays To All!

It is a wonderful time of the year...especially this year.  As a chapter, we have pushed thru a lot of adversity and looked for creative ways to keep members engaged, while providing value added.  The year certainly brought hardship to many of our members as we had quite a few that didn't renew their membership at the beginning of the year but throughout the year, many did return and join our ranks.  We also welcomed 54 New Members to the Kansas Chapter and look forward to seeing them at our chapter events in the future.  This year has highlighted the importance of having a strong chapter that connects healthcare professionals across the state, at all levels.  It is this level of connectedness and networking that allowed us to overcome so many challenges as we fought COVID day after day, for many months.  Our strength was certainly in our friendships and relationships.

I want to highlight and congratulate our new members, new Fellows and recertified Fellows this September:

New Fellows:

Recertified Fellows:

This year has been a tough one for recruiting new members, but we’ve pushed through it and continue to show value to healthcare professionals around the state.  We are our best promoters.  Through our words and actions, we can continue to demonstrate the value of ACHE and KAHCE to others looking to grow professionally and network with peers. 

Remember, when you participate in our Leader-to-Leader Rewards Program, we will award you one point for each person you successfully recruit as a member. Be sure to remind your colleagues to list you as their sponsor on their applications to ensure you receive credit.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the benefits of ACHE membership, please contact the ACHE Customer Service Center at (312) 424-9400 or at contact@ache.org. I encourage each of us to share the KACHE and ACHE story and let others know why it is important to us and how it can benefit them. 

We launched a student scholarship program that will allow interested students to apply for a student membership sponsored by KAHCE.  Please reach out to any healthcare administration students you know and let them know about the program…we’ve sent the information directly to students in the programs we have access to but we know there are more we can reach.  We continue to promote this with non-member students, as well as member students and would like to see good participation, as the scholarship also facilitates involvement in chapter activities.

Another major change that occurred this year (takes affect January 1, 2021) is the change in membership tenure before being eligible to advance to Fellow.   Becoming a Fellow of ACHE has long been the gold standard for leadership in our field. After much discussion and consideration, and with the support of the Membership Committee, the ACHE Board of Governors has decided to change the membership tenure requirement for initial Fellow advancement from three years to one year, effective Jan. 1, 2021.

As your Membership Committee Chairperson, I would be remiss if I didn't provide a chapter wide reminder that January 1st is the beginning of a new membership year and "Dues are Due."  Most have already received email and physical mail reminders...please be on the lookout for the notices and take a moment to renew your membership for 2021.  Let's make 2021 one of our best years yet.   

Thank you for all your support to KAHCE…and a very special welcome to our new members.  

Thanks,

Wes