I am grateful to our Officers, the board and the greater Iroquois community for allowing me to lead this extraordinary organization. Never has our work been more important, nor more meaningful!
In the coming months, I will be on the road with the goal of meeting with each of you and your staff. There is no substitute for meeting in person, seeing your facilities and communities to better understand and see your accomplishments, challenges and plans for the future.
I have been sounding the alarm with our Congressional delegation, both within and beyond our region, our state legislators, and the Governor and her staff about the potential impacts of the Reconciliation Package signed into law on July 4th. I’ve had several media interviews and continue to raise awareness of the need for support for our hospitals in Upstate and rural New York. This work cannot stop and will not stop.
Elite Business Associate Member Sponsors and Business Associate Membership Information
Upcoming IHA Events
IHA’s newsletter features highlights and updates on our advocacy efforts, programs & initiatives, United Iroquois Shared Services (UISS) group purchasing updates, what’s happening inside IHA and a new series sharing insights from our CEOs. We hope you enjoy this edition!
Advocacy Update
Kevin Kerwin
President & CEO
Grace Rust
Senior Associate for Advocacy
and Government Relations
Calibrating to a new presidential administration, a new congress and a new state legislature has kept us busy!
Tariffs and a shift to disruptive economic policies, state progress, and federal challenges have been the hallmark of the early part of the year. Through it all IHA continued its strong focus on advocacy. At the state level we worked hard to secure funding for Upstate healthcare in the FY 2026 budget and defended against destructive cuts on the federal level.
Since January, IHA has been actively engaging with legislators, raising awareness of the significant challenges impacting healthcare in Upstate and rural New York. Key concerns include ever increasing expenses, workforce shortages, pharmaceutical costs and threats to the 340-b program, and funding and financial uncertainty, among others. We have called for increases to supportive funding and multi-year investments. While there is uncertainty and an extreme volatility at the federal level, IHA has stressed to state leaders the urgent need to plan and safeguard our vital health care facilities.
IHA is supporting two new pilot sites in our region through a grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to facilitate a Healthcare Educational Pipeline Consortium program. The funding will also help support the existing Oswego Early College in the High School Program.
This program works to build the workforce pipeline for healthcare providers in upstate New York by introducing local students to the industry as early as possible.
Caring Gene® Career Pathways Training (CPT) has officially reached over 1,300 students supported across the regions we serve. This milestone is more than a number, it’s a sign of the momentum we’ve built together to strengthen New York State’s healthcare workforce.
Thanks to our growing network of more than 54 educational partners and close to 32 committed employers, this program is creating real pathways to meaningful and sustainable careers in healthcare, behavioral health and social care.
Navigating Supply Chain Challenges in an Era of Uncertainty
Healthcare supply chains continue to face unprecedented volatility as organizations grapple with evolving tariff policies, persistent drug shortages, and ongoing market disruptions. In response to these challenges, UISS has strengthened its partnership with Premier to provide members with cutting-edge AI-powered solutions like the Supply Disruption Manager, which has already demonstrated significant impact—reducing one member hospital's daily backorders from 7-8 down to 1-2 within just one month of implementation. Premier's new Tariff Risk Summary Modeling Tool offers additional support to help facilities navigate the complex landscape of newly imposed tariffs and their effects on contracted services.
Meanwhile, UISS continues to expand its contract portfolio with strategic renewals including EMS LLC, Bimbo Bakeries USA, and a significant seven-year extension with Mohawk Healthcare through 2031, alongside new partnerships with Patterson Dental. As we work together to address these supply chain complexities, we're excited to announce the upcoming UISS Supply Chain Symposium in conjunction with the IHA Golf Invitational on September 18th—details forthcoming. This educational event will be open to all IHA hospitals and will provide valuable insights and networking opportunities focused on supply chain resiliency and artificial intelligence. In this issue, we're also thrilled to introduce Jessica Corazzini, our new Associate for Supply Chain Analytics, who brings over 15 years of data reporting expertise to our team, and we feature an exclusive interview with Leila Tibi-Scherl, PharmD, MBA, DPLA, the newly installed President of NYSCHP and Senior Director at Premier, Inc., who shares her vision for pharmacy's future and insights on navigating today's complex healthcare landscape.
Premier Breakthroughs 25 showcased innovative healthcare solutions and operational excellence, with several UISS members taking center stage to share their transformative experiences and industry insights. The conference welcomed 30 participants from UISS membership and staff, providing valuable opportunities to network with peers, engage with thought leader panel discussions and keynote presentations, and explore emerging supply chain technologies and cutting-edge supplier innovations.
UISS Member Highlights
Lisa Nickerson from Good Shepherd Communities presented "Premier's SmartPO: The Smart Path to Centralizing Procurement Across the Continuum of Care." Her session addressed the critical procurement challenges facing continuum of care providers—including long-term care facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, and physician practices.
Chris Scribner, CMRP, from Crouse Health System (representing Acurity) delivered "Surpass - Driving Value Through Collaboration and Outcome-Focused Decisions." Scribner unveiled the remarkable success of Crouse Health System's Surpass Program, which achieved $2.6 million in implemented savings in under one year.
Philip James from Samaritan Medical Center presented "The Future of Hospital Operations: Smarter Strategies, Bigger Impact," offering a comprehensive transformation playbook for healthcare organizations. His session focused on achieving simultaneous cost reduction, efficiency improvements, and enhanced patient care through integrated financial strategy, cutting-edge technology, and modern staffing models.
These presentations exemplified UISS members' commitment to operational excellence and their leadership in driving meaningful change across the healthcare industry. Their real-world success stories provided attendees with actionable blueprints for eliminating inefficiencies and achieving significant savings without compromising care quality.
We are highlighting CEOs from each of the five Regions that make up our membership (i.e., Capital District, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, and Central New York) in this newly created feature.
This quarter, we introduce you to CEOs from the Capital District & North Country:
Capital District:
Dr. Jason Mouzakes, EVP and Hospital General Director, Albany Medical Center Hospital
Jill VanKuren, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Saratoga Hospital
Paul Scimeca, President and Chief Executive Officer, Glens Falls Hospital
North Country:
Aaron Kramer, Chief Executive Officer, Adirondack Health
Donna M. McGregor, FACHE, FHFMA, President, St. Lawrence Region, Rochester Regional Health
Gerald Cayer, MPH, Chief Executive Officer, Lewis County Health System
Rich Duvall, President and Chief Executive Officer, Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center & Carthage Area Hospital
We're excited to welcome two talented professionals to our organization. Arianna Stone, MPH, joins the Iroquois Healthcare Association as Director of Research and Data Analytics, where she'll lead data-driven strategies to strengthen healthcare workforce development across upstate New York. With her Master of Public Health from University at Albany and extensive experience from her previous role as Director of Research and Development at the Home Care Association of New York State, Arianna brings expertise in research initiatives, grant management, and policy development. When she's not analyzing data, you'll find her with her two loveable labs, Cola and Kilo.
Jessica Corazzini has joined United Iroquois Shared Services, Inc. (UISS) as Associate for Supply Chain Analytics, bringing over 15 years of experience in data reporting and analysis. A true "data detective," Jessica has been transforming complex data into actionable insights for senior leadership at Four Winds Hospitals. She is pursuing a Master of Science in Information Design and Technology at SUNY Polytechnic Institute starting this January. Her diverse background spans healthcare quality assurance and regulatory reporting across various sectors, from healthcare at Four Winds Saratoga to higher education at Skidmore College and financial services at Goldman Sachs. Jessica is married to Marc and has a daughter named Emily.
Both Arianna and Jessica bring valuable expertise that will strengthen our data analytics capabilities and support our mission of improving healthcare delivery across the region. Please join us in welcoming them to the team!
IHA Business Associate Membership gives your company access to Upstate NY healthcare leaders and can help you foster positive relationships with new and current customers, anticipate trends and changes in the healthcare environment, and identify new opportunities for reaching the Upstate NY healthcare sector.
We'd like to welcome our newest Business Associate Members:
