WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Hospital Association honored U.S. Sen. Susan Collins with the Honorary Life Membership Award during their 2018 annual membership meeting on May 7.
Michelle Hood, president of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems in Brewer, and Kris Doody, RN, CEO of Cary Medical Center in Caribou, introduced Collins and presented her with the award in recognition of her leadership in protecting and improving the health care of all Americans.
Collins chairs the Senate Aging Committee and is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
“The problem of ensuring affordable access to quality health care for all Americans is one of the most significant domestic challenges facing our country,” said Collins.
“We must work together, across party lines, to develop health care reforms that work for all Americans. We must stop allowing partisanship to be the pre-existing condition that prevents meaningful health care reform. The AHA is an informed voice for effective reform, and I appreciate their continued hard work and support,” she said.
“It is especially meaningful to receive this award from Michelle and Kris. I am proud to live in Bangor, and I know the great contributions Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems makes to the health and well-being of people in the Bangor region and in other hospitals in our state. Cary Medical Center in Caribou, where I was born, has led the way in expanding access to quality health care for the men and women who have served our country and is a leader in strengthening rural health care,” Collins continued. “The scope of activities at these two institutions is replicated by AHA members throughout our nation.”
Founded in 1898, the AHA is a national organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. Nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members come together to form the AHA.
