Florida Hospital Association

04/06/2026

Last week, Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of FHA, presented at the JAX ChamberHealthCouncil 's luncheon.

Mayhew’s keynote addressed the ongoing headwinds facing Florida’s health care system and emphasized how our state's hospitals are adopting innovative approaches to care delivery to meet patients where they are and ensure advanced, high-quality care close to home.

04/02/2026

In FHA President and CEO Mary C. Mayhew’s April South Florida Hospital News column, she spotlights the powerful impact Florida hospitals have on the state’s thriving economy. The Sunshine State's hospitals and health care systems are strong economic pillars, driving growth as major employers and purchasers of goods and services in regions statewide. With Florida’s population continuing to rise and age, a stable health care system is vital to the state's future.

Read Mayhew's column here >> https://southfloridahospitalnews.com/thriving-hospitals-thriving-economy/

03/31/2026

FHA’s Mary Mayhew traveled last week to meet with Baptist Health CEO Bo Boulenger, Executive Vice President Glenn Waters, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer Ana Lopez-Blazquez, Executive Vice President & Chief Physician Executive Jack Ziffer, PhD, MD and Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer Joe Natoli to discuss key legislative priorities, regulatory challenges and operational opportunities to bolster patient care and hospital sustainability. Thank you, Baptist Health, for the warm welcome and for engaging in these important policy conversations.

03/30/2026

Mary Mayhew, FHA's president and CEO, traveled to Melbourne to visit Laura Burke, Market CEO of Kindred Hospitals of East Florida last Tuesday. Discussions focused on the value of long-term acute care beds and the essential role they play in caring for high-acuity patients who require extended hospital-level care. Thank you, Kindred Hospitals, for engaging in these important conversations about strengthening care for Florida’s medically complex patients.

03/27/2026

This week, as part of the Readmissions Collaborative initiative, FHA hosted a webinar discussing efforts to support safe discharges for patients experiencing homelessness. Thank you, Representative Mitch Rosenwald, Candidate for Florida State House District #98, for providing meaningful procedural updates on this webinar and for your ongoing leadership and partnership on this issue.

We also want to thank Broward County Housing Options, Solutions, and Supports Division - HOSS-D, Memorial Health and AdventHealth for sharing valuable insights, best practices and innovative strategies that hospitals can leverage to support safe discharges and positive health outcomes for patients experiencing homelessness.

Every day, Florida's hospitals are working upstream to adopt proactive care models that prioritize interdisciplinary collaboration, community partnerships and mobile health models to make care accessible to our state's most vulnerable patients.

03/26/2026

FHA President & CEO Mary Mayhew yesterday visited Health First at Holmes Regional Medical Center, where she met with members of the First Flight air ambulance program and system leaders to discuss scaling critical care access to meet the rising demand for services across one of Florida’s fastest-growing regions.

Joined by trauma surgeon Dr. Scott Zenoni, metro aviation pilot Rick Rappleyea, Director of Patient Logistics Tiffany Bassani, Health First Foundation President Michael Seeley, Division President Mike Mullowney, Chief Financial Officer Kristen Pulio and Health First's President & CEO Terry Forde, Mayhew learned about the First Flight program's one-year expansion milestone, doubling air ambulance services across Brevard County and northern Indian River County. Both air ambulance teams have handled more than 1,200 calls and logged more than 30,000 patient-loaded air miles, demonstrating the program's impact.

Health First is one of many examples of how Florida's hospitals are expanding services to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Many thanks to the Health First team for welcoming FHA!

03/24/2026

We are proud to share that FHA President and CEO Mary Mayhew is a 2026 Inspiring Women of Health honoree!

Mary's vision for a modern, high-quality health care delivery system in Florida and her dedication to advocating for meaningful health care policy embody the Health Foundation of South Florida's mission to create healthier communities.

Congratulations, Mary!

Health Foundation of South Florida congratulates Mary Mayhew, a 2026 Inspiring Women of Health honoree.

As President and CEO of the Florida Hospital Association, she leads statewide efforts to strengthen and modernize Florida’s healthcare system, working alongside hospitals and healthcare leaders to expand access to high-quality care for communities across the state.

With more than three decades of leadership in healthcare policy and public service, Mayhew has played a pivotal role in advancing initiatives that support workforce development, improve maternal and mental health care, and strengthen the healthcare continuum for Florida’s residents. Her career has also included service as Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, where she helped guide the state’s healthcare response during the pandemic.

Her passion for public service began early when she served as a Congressional Page in the U.S. House of Representatives while completing high school, an experience that helped shape her lifelong commitment to civic leadership. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors walking the trails near her home in Tallahassee and connecting with family and friends. Through both her professional leadership and personal dedication to community, she continues to champion stronger healthcare systems for Floridians.



Photo credit: LINSI TAYLOR

03/19/2026

Florida hospitals are driving economic growth by supporting nearly one million jobs and delivering $34.5 billion in wages, salaries and benefits.

See highlights from our 2023 economic impact report on hospitals >> https://www.fha.org/FHA/FHA/Data-and-Research/Economic-Impact.aspx

03/09/2026

This , FHA thanks our state’s health care heroes for their dedication, vigilance and compassion in making a real difference for patients and their families. Learn more from the American Hospital Association’s Patient Safety Initiative about how everyone can support patient safety >> https://www.aha.org/patient-safety-awareness-week

03/06/2026

This week, FHA President and CEO Mary C. Mayhew was honored to speak on a panel at ACHE’s 2026 Congress on Healthcare Leadership. The panel discussion, “Advancing Field Advocacy: Strategies for Healthcare Leaders,” centered around how providers can effectively engage policymakers, strengthen their voice and help shape policies that support quality care for patients and communities.

03/03/2026

As lawmakers finalize Florida’s 2026-2027 fiscal year budget, Florida’s hospitals face nearly a 30% increase in care costs and a rising demand for services. A strong Florida depends on a strong health care infrastructure that is already ready to provide timely and high-quality patient care.

Read FHA President & CEO Mary Mayhew’s latest column in the South Florida Hospital News on why protecting health care funding is essential for Florida’s future >> https://southfloridahospitalnews.com/protect-health-care-access-in-the-state-budget/

03/02/2026

Don't you agree that strong hospitals mean stronger communities? 👇

Florida's Medicaid program is a vital lifeline for the Sunshine State's most vulnerable residents and that's why the timely approval by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of Florida's pending proposal is critical to maintaining the right care at the right time and in the right setting while keeping costs sustainable. As Mary Mayhew, president and CEO of FHA, recently wrote in an op-ed circulated statewide: "Floridians increasingly must turn to emergency departments — the most resource-intensive point of entry into the health care system — raising, not lowering, federal health care spending."

FHA urges the federal government to promptly approve Florida's State Directed Payment Program to preserve timely care and support hospitals as they serve their communities. Learn more >> https://floridianpress.com/2026/02/accusations-of-anti-florida-cms-bias-continue-to-mount/

Be part of FHA's Hospital Days, January 27–28 at the Florida Capitol. Join leaders to discuss priorities with lawmakers and advocate for policies that strengthen care statewide.