Henry Ford Health System CEO Elected to AHA Board

DETROIT, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Nancy Schlichting, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health System, has been elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association. She begins her three-year term Jan. 1, 2011.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100804/DE45702 )

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The Board of Trustees is the policy-making body of the AHA, and has ultimate authority for the governance and management of its direction and finances.

Schlichting is the only member from Michigan on the 27-member board.

Prior to taking her current position at Henry Ford in 2003, Schlichting served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the system, and was responsible for its hospitals, community care services, hospital joint ventures, physician practice development and integrated support services. 

After losing nearly $75 million in 2001, Henry Ford was in the black by 2003 and has experienced positive revenue growth and net income every year to present. In 2009, total revenues nearly topped $4 billion.

Henry Ford has increased its market share by 37 percent in southeast Michigan in the last five years and has doubled revenues over the last 10 years.

The financial growth of Henry Ford continued in 2009 while opening up a $360 million hospital in West Bloomfield, expanding Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and funding the employee pension plan.

And last year, Henry Ford Health System was named one of the top 10 health systems in the United States by Thomson Reuters.

Schlichting chaired the boards of the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and the Greater Detroit Area Health Council.

She earned her bachelor's degree in public policy studies from Duke University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She received her master's in business administration in hospital administration and accounting from Cornell University.  She is a current member of the AHA Advisory Committee on Health Care Reform. 

About AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the improvement of health in their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which includes more than 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, and 38,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends.

About Henry Ford Health System

Henry Ford Health System, one of the country's largest health care systems, is a national leader in clinical care, research and education. It includes the 1,200-member Henry Ford Medical Group, six hospitals, the Health Alliance Plan, 32 primary care centers and many other health-related entities throughout Southeast Michigan. Founded in 1915 by auto pioneer Henry Ford, the health system continues to be committed to improving the health and well-being of a diverse Michigan community. In 2009 alone, Henry Ford provided more than $173 million in uncompensated care. Henry Ford also is a major economic driver Michigan: the health system plans to invest $500 million to expand the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and employs more than 23,000. To learn more, visit HenryFord.com

SOURCE Henry Ford Health System