AHA Board Elects John Bluford Chair-Elect Designate

WASHINGTON, July 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Hospital Association's (AHA) Board of Trustees has elected John W. Bluford, president and CEO of Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Mo. as its chair-elect designate. Bluford will assume the chairmanship in 2011, becoming the top elected official of the national organization that represents America's hospitals and health systems.

Bluford has been chief executive officer and executive director of Truman Medical Centers (TMC) since 1999. TMC is a non-profit system made up of Truman Medical Center Hospital Hill, Truman Medical Center Lakewood, Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health Network and the Jackson County Health Department. TMC is the primary teaching hospital for the University of Missouri-Kansas City Schools of Health Sciences.

"Hospitals support extending coverage to millions of Americans while keeping hospitals strong to fulfill their mission of caring for communities. It is an honor to be chosen to represent my colleagues in the field at this critical juncture in our nation's history," said Bluford. "A special area of focus for me will be finding ways to create a culture of wellness among health care employees that hopefully will extend into the communities they serve."

Prior to his chairmanship, Bluford will become chairman-elect on Jan. 1, 2010. As chairman-elect, he will preside over AHA's Long-Range Policy Committee, which identifies the association's priority initiatives. Bluford will succeed Richard P. de Filippi, who as the current chairman-elect of the AHA will become its next chairman of the board. De Filippi is a trustee of the Cambridge Health Alliance, a major Bostonarea, safetynet academic health care system with three inpatient campuses and more than 20 community health centers. De Filippi also is managing partner of the Ariano Partnership, a consulting group that has worked largely with emerging technologybased companies.

Prior to assuming his TMC position, Bluford was CEO/administrator at Hennepin County Medical Center, a comprehensive academic medical center and public hospital located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. At the same time, he served as executive director of the Metropolitan Health Plan in Minneapolis. Earlier, he worked at several different institutions, including the then-Cook County Hospital in Chicago and Pilot City Health Center in Minneapolis.

Bluford was an at-large member of the AHA Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2008 and a member of the AHA Executive Committee in 2008. He served on the AHA Operations Committee and was chairman of the Audit Subcommittee. He was a member of the AHA Committee on Nominations and has served on the AHA-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize Committee since 2005. He also has been a regional policy board delegate, a member of the task forces on Coverage and Access and Essential Access, and a member of the AHA NOVA Advisory Panel. Bluford also served as immediate past chairman of the National Association of Public Hospitals, chairman of the Missouri Hospital Association, and immediate past chairman of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

Bluford currently serves on the boards of the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, DeCare International and H&R Block Bank. Bluford earned a master's of business administration from Northwestern University in Chicago and his bachelor's degree from Fisk University in Nashville. In addition, he attended Harvard University's Executive Program in Health System Management.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations that are committed to health improvement in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include more than 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks and other providers of care. Founded in 1898, AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.

SOURCE American Hospital Association