MICHIGAN HEALTHCARE EXECUTIVES GROUP AND ASSOCIATES WINS ACHE'S AFFILIATED GROUP AWARD

CHICAGO, February 2, 2004—Michigan Healthcare Executives Group and Associates, Detroit, will receive the American College of Healthcare Executives 2004 Affiliated Group Award.

The group will receive the award and a $1,000 cash prize on Tuesday, March 2, 2004, at the Malcolm T. MacEachern Memorial Lecture and Luncheon during ACHE's 47th Congress on Healthcare Management at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

ACHE established the award in 1993 to recognize outstanding contributions to ACHE and the healthcare field by ACHE's officially designated healthcare executive groups and women's healthcare executive networks. Affiliated groups are evaluated on their innovative approaches to serving members, the quality of programs offered to members, and their promotion of ACHE membership and advancement.

Originally founded in 1984 as the Southeast Michigan Healthcare Executive Forum, Michigan Healthcare Executives Group and Associates was reorganized in 2002 and now serves more than 250 members in Detroit and the surrounding area. The group sponsors various educational programs, including keynote addresses on such topics as recruiting and retaining healthcare leaders and managing professional development. MHEGA also holds career management roundtables that offer advice for members contemplating a job change. Committed to helping students in local healthcare management programs, MHEGA has awarded thousands of dollars in academic scholarships and sponsors an annual golf outing to raise scholarship funds. The group is currently developing a job shadow program to expose students to the healthcare management field. Other MHEGA membership benefits include access to online job postings, an e-mail newsletter, and an annual membership directory.

More than 50 percent of MHEGA's members are ACHE affiliates, and the group actively promotes the benefits of ACHE membership. Once a year, MHEGA holds a workshop to present information on advancement in ACHE and provide recommendations on how group members can take advantage of ACHE's programs and services. In addition, MHEGA served as a demonstration group to test a chapter structure for ACHE. Group members reviewed chapter resources created by ACHE and suggested improvements.

Michigan Healthcare Executives Group and Associates was selected by ACHE's Awards and Testimonials Committee from affiliated groups nominated by ACHE's Regents-at-Large. The other nominated groups include ACHE - Greater Houston Chapter, Inc.; Connecticut Women in Health Care Management, Inc., Enfield; Greater Charlotte (NC) Healthcare Executives Group; Healthcare Executives of the Kanto Plain, Yokosuka, Japan; National Capital Healthcare Executives, Washington, DC; South Florida Healthcare Executive Forum, Inc., Hollywood; and Women Health Care Executives of Northern California, San Francisco.

CONTACT: Deborah A. Labb, (312) 424-9426

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