ACHE of South Florida Members,
Spring is upon us—and so is Hospital Week. Two great reasons to write my next chapter president’s letter.
Spring is a time of renewal and growth. It’s a season that invites reflection—on both the personal and professional experiences that have shaped the year so far, and on how we can continue to evolve into the next chapter of our lives. Whether or not you celebrate Hospital Week directly, it stands as a reminder of the many designated weeks throughout the year that honor the professionals making a difference every day in South Florida’s healthcare landscape.
At the heart of ACHE of South Florida is our mission to engage, educate, and provide networking and fellowship opportunities, all with the goal of connecting healthcare leaders throughout our region. In that spirit, I thought I’d use this letter to look back—and then ahead.
This year began like a thrilling ride at your favorite amusement park. On a personal note, I got married! We hosted an intimate wedding on Fort Lauderdale Beach while simultaneously planning a semi-intimate installation dinner for 300 people. Professionally, I took on the honor and responsibility of leading a 1,000+ member chapter of ACHE. I also had the privilege of delivering my first national speaking engagement at ACHE Congress in Houston, where I gained insights from healthcare experts across a wide range of disciplines. If you missed Congress this year, I highly encourage you to take advantage of early-bird pricing—it’s a “don’t miss” event for 2026.
Locally, we’ve expanded our programming by offering both in-person and virtual opportunities for members to engage. Topics have included AI, digital health, green healthcare initiatives, and our future healthcare business leader strategy competition. It’s been a strong start to the year—and while it’ll be hard to top, I remain focused on reflection and growth.
Personally, I hope to grow as an even more supportive husband. Professionally, I aim to learn something new from a colleague and help our board and members achieve their goals. In support of this, many of you will soon receive a formal member survey from ACHE. This is your chance to share how we can better align with your needs and expectations, so please take a moment to respond.
Looking ahead, we have many exciting ways for members to get involved. Rocio Diaz, one of our Board Members-at-Large, has developed a plan to kick off volunteer committees focused on programming, networking, and social media. Many of you have asked how to become more engaged—or even take steps toward joining the board—this is a great place to start. Keep an eye out for more details soon.
Upcoming events can be found at www.acheofsouthflorida.org under the “Events” tab. Here are a few highlights:
No matter which events you attend, I hope you’ll take the opportunity to connect with some of the more than 1,000 dynamic healthcare leaders in our chapter. And as always, if you have ideas, suggestions, questions, or simply want to say hello, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at baltchuler@baptisthealth.net.
Best,
Brian Altschuler, FACHE
President, ACHE of South Florida
It’s a Journey! Up for the Adventure!
The end of year brings us to a metaphorical finish line in which we get to decide to either leave things behind or secure them for the adventure that lies ahead of us in the New Year. There is no doubt that as the healthcare landscape continues to change in 2025, we will need the resources of our association even more. ACHE of South Florida, an affiliate of the American College of Healthcare Executives for me personally as the incoming chapter president is the ideal environment to grow professionally, grow personally, and collaborate with each other to better serve and deliver healthcare to the community we all call home, South Florida.
Many have asked me over the last several weeks what my goals are for the association as we move into 2025. The mission of ACHE and ACHE of South Florida (ACHE-SFL) is to advance our members and healthcare leadership excellence. Our objective and goal are simple, be the reason someone has a better day and share good leadership and vibes! While a non-traditional answer, let me elaborate.
We are starting from a position of strength as a chapter with several years of strong leadership at the helm. We have once again put together a dynamic group of leaders for the 2025 Board of Directors from a nomination slate that saw more qualified candidates than in past recent years. We are developing programming that will align with a wide array of industry and professional needs. Whether seeking board certification as a Fellow (FACHE) or a business solution to get you in the right direction back at work, you will find it occurring in 2025. We are bringing in outside speakers that continue to deliver content you would find on a national level locally. You will not want to miss the Installation Dinner Keynote on Thursday; February 13th being held at 5:30pm at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale West Hotel. We are evolving our Student Case Competition that last year saw an increased participation from across the state. I encourage you to get involved as a mentor for one of the teams. Engagement continues to be strong at all events as we work to ensure we provide venues that make it easy to attend in person events. New in 2025 will be the greater addition of more virtual events as we aim to offer a good balance of ways to find value in your membership. Finally, speaking of ways to get more engaged, new in 2025 we will be forming committees of the board to allow more member interaction and further create pathways towards succession planning for board leadership roles.
The overall goal is to provide you with key opportunities as a healthcare leader. That when 2025 comes to a close, we as a collaborative association have created success in others through our abilities and strength. As an association of over 1,000 members, we truly are stronger together and able to share leadership traits, knowledge, connection, and yes good vibes!
After being part of the association for several years, I am both humbled and honored to be chosen to lead with a great board in 2025. I welcome and look forward to you reaching out with ideas, suggestions, and feedback. Email me
Sincerely,
Brian Altschuler
Chapter President
ACHE of South Florida
The first quarter of 2023 has come and gone too quickly! Our chapter has had a busy few months as we plan for the year ahead. As this year’s President some of my goals include facilitating increased member engagement, encouraging greater student membership and encouraging those student members to continue with ACHE of South Florida after graduation. Furthermore, I want to work with the chapter to boost the number of members with Fellowship credentialing. My request to all of you is to give back to your chapter, by fostering collegial interaction and where appropriate offering mentorship to our newest members. Finding ways to give all interested members a “seat at the table” and encouraging greater involvement will grow and strengthen our organization.
On February 28th we had over 250 attendees at our Board Installation Dinner. Congratulations to the 2023 Board of Directors and a special thank you to Shane Strum, President & CEO, Broward Health, and K. Scott Wester, FACHE, President & CEO, Memorial Healthcare System for leading our fireside chat.
We recently held our first education event at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, and it was a terrific program. Panelists shared their knowledge on financing via private equity or alternative funding in healthcare. It was very relevant to today’s healthcare landscape. If you were not able to join us in person you have the opportunity to view the lecture on our website at Event Videos.
ACHE Congress was held in March’ and I would like to thank those members who attended and presented on behalf of our chapter. You represented us well!
ACHE of South Florida received the Chapter Innovation Grant under the leadership of our Immediate Past President, Oyinkansola “Bukky” Ogunrinde. This grant encourages a focus on growing the membership of C-suite leaders who work in non-hospital settings. Special thank-you to Haroula Norden, FACHE, President-Elect for spearheading this effort and ensuring we fulfilled all requirements for the Chapter Innovation Grant.
I am very honored and excited to have the opportunity to lead our 1,200 members through this year, a year of recovery. I encourage each of you to engage with our chapter and your fellow members throughout the year.
Please reach out to me or any of our Board of Directors at any time.
For the latest news, including upcoming events, member and sponsor spotlights and much more, please bookmark our chapter's website and follow us on LinkedIn!
Wishing you all the best!
Sincerely,
Jenna Merlucci, FACHE
Chapter President
ACHE of South Florida
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Mission-Driven and Member-Focused
Greetings, ACHE of South Florida members, supporters, and friends.
Even though the Delta variant derailed our ability to move forward with in-person events over the summer, it did not prevent us from continuing to offer virtual events that kept many of us connected and engaged. I am truly grateful for the members of the Board, volunteers, participants, and sponsors that continue to support this year's efforts of being mission-driven and member-focused.
Since the start of the year, our chapter has welcomed nearly 200 new members, 10 new Fellows and 1 Life Fellow. Several hundred members and supporters have participated in more than a dozen events, and we have grown our online presence and engagement to a new level. As I often say, nothing can replace a handshake or a hug, but operating virtually this year has eliminated geographical boundaries and South Florida's traffic challenges, drawing event attendees from throughout Florida, the U.S., and other countries. I am looking forward to connecting with all of you again face-to-face very soon.
Several weeks into the last quarter of the year, we have already held two excellent virtual face-to-face educational programs, with another scheduled for November 17th , which is now at capacity. Stay tuned for more upcoming events!
For the latest news, including upcoming events , member and sponsor spotlights and much more, please remember to follow us on LinkedIn !
Sincerely,
Kenneth C. Wong, FACHE
Read More Hello ACHE of South Florida members, supporters, and friends.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about the accomplishments of our members and our chapter throughout the second quarter of this year. Despite continuing to operate in a mostly virtual business environment, we strived to provide events and activities that kept us all connected. Through educational programming, networking, new member orientation, the annual Healthcare Leader Development Student Case Competition, and the chapter’s first Fellow Advancement & BOG Exam Informational Session, we’ve seen participation collectively reach several hundred over the last three months. We are grateful for your support and involvement. A lot of time, dedication, and heart goes into organizing events, and it makes volunteering for this organization fulfilling when engagement is high.
I extend a warm welcome to all of you that have recently joined ACHE and our chapter or renewed your membership. Please reach out, introduce yourself, attend events, volunteer on a committee, and offer suggestions and feedback. Help us as we continue on a mission-driven and member-focused course.
With the deepest gratitude and respect, I wish to acknowledge everyone that continues to help us through the pandemic, including healthcare workers, first responders, educators, and so many others. Thank you to our sponsors and board members who volunteer their time to fulfill their obligations to our members.
For the latest news, be sure to bookmark our website and follow us on LinkedIn!
Sincerely,
Kenneth C. Wong, FACHE
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Hello, ACHE of South Florida members, supporters, and friends.
I am honored and excited to present my first chapter newsletter for 2021! Thank you for your support and involvement. As I reflect on all that we have accomplished virtually over the past year, I look ahead with optimism that we will be able to resume in-person events very soon.
We have certainly endured and sacrificed so much over the past year. I cannot think of a profession that has been impacted more than ours and I hope that your loved ones and you are safe and healthy. As an organization comprised of healthcare HEROES, I wish to express the deepest gratitude to all of you who work tirelessly to keep us, our patients, and our communities healthy.
For those of you who virtually attended ACHE Congress recently, I am sure you found it incredibly inspirational and educational, as over 9,000 attendees from around the country and the world shared their knowledge and stories of dedication to our field.
In the year ahead, our goal is to provide you, our members and supporters, with relevant events and opportunities that will contribute to our professional development and enhance our diverse roles in the healthcare field. I look forward to your support and I encourage you to get involved!
Please reach out to me or any of the chapter's committee chairs to volunteer. Feel free to share your feedback, suggestions, promotions, job changes, and news about your organization by emailing Info@ACHEofSouthFlorida.org . For the latest news, be sure to bookmark our website and follow us on LinkedIn!
Sincerely,
Kenneth C. Wong, FACHE
Read More
The American College of Healthcare Executives of South Florida, formerly known as the South Florida Healthcare Executive Forum (SFHEF), has announced its 2021 leadership team. ACHE of South Florida is the local chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). Serving seven counties spanning from Monroe to the Treasure Coast, over one thousand healthcare executives, students and supporters comprise this organization with roots dating back to 1972.
"Throughout the many challenges that we endured in 2020, one thing became abundantly clear: those who dedicate their lives to patients and the improvement of healthcare delivery and outcomes always have been and always will be HEROES! So many have sacrificed so much while battling this pandemic and I am proud to be part of one of the many healthcare-related organizations that contributes to this higher calling. I pray that we see an end to this pandemic soon," stated Chapter President Kenneth C. Wong, FACHE.
The 2021 Board of Directors has already started work, having recently concluded its annual executive planning session. At that meeting, ambitious plans were laid out for 2021.
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ACHE of South Florida has always been focused on supporting its members, and that mission didn’t change during the pandemic. In fact, the organization offered eligible members two financial awards programs in 2020; one to recognize those going above and beyond, and the other to help those who might be struggling during these troubling times.
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