When Hospital Council of Southern Arizona convenes, 14 CEOs come to the table “to talk not as competitors but as caregivers,” said Diane Rafferty, CEO of University Physicians Hospital.

These CEOs “not only recognized the need to come together but were able to stay together as a group through very challenging times,” said Stephanie Healy, president of HCSA since its founding in 2004. “They all see value of sitting at the table together and looking at things from a common perspective. From that has come a lot of really good work that in many ways benefits the community.”

The impact ranges from creating a fast-track nursing degree program, to introducing life-saving telemedicine in rural areas, to increasing coordination and communication between emergency departments.