John Bluford, president and CEO of Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Mo., was inducted as chairman of the board of trustees of the American Hospital Association during its annual meeting in Washington. Bluford, who led his hospital to encourage “lifestyle changes” among its patients and their families, called on the AHA's more than 5,000 member hospitals to improve the overall health status of the communities they serve.
“Your community has its own dynamics that create its own barriers—solid walls that stand between people and the health that will allow them to achieve their full potential.” Bluford told the meeting's attendees. “Tearing down those walls will be painfully slow. But we will never get to the destination if we don't start the journey.”
