Sanford’s Bill Gassen elected to AHA Board of Trustees
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Aug. 8, 2023
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — The American Hospital Association (AHA) has elected Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health, to its Board of Trustees. Gassen joins seven additional new board members who will serve three-year terms. The Board of Trustees is the highest policymaking body of the AHA and has ultimate authority for the governance and management of its directions and finances.
Gassen has been the president and CEO of Sanford Health since November 2020. He previously served as the chief administrative officer, corporate counsel and chief human resources officer over a ten-year period.
“It is an honor to be elected to the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees, and I am privileged to serve alongside a distinguished group of leaders who all share a common goal – advance health care for all patients in our communities,” said Gassen. “This is another opportunity to share Sanford Health’s unique perspective of how we are delivering world-class health care in rural America.”
Gassen is presiding over transformational growth at Sanford Health. In 2021, Sanford Health unveiled a $350 million virtual care initiative to improve access to convenient, high-quality care for rural, underserved communities. That same year, Sanford Health announced plans to add eight new graduate medical residencies and fellowships in specialty areas, for a total of 15 programs, to build the next generation of rural health care providers.
In 2022, Gassen was recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare. This prestigious recognition honors individuals who are deemed by their peers and the senior editors of Modern Healthcare to be the most influential figures in the industry in terms of leadership and impact. Gassen also serves on the board of directors for Oscar Health.
Gassen is a former health care litigator and current member of the State Bar of South Dakota. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a law degree, both from the University of South Dakota.
Gassen is a member of AHA’s Health Systems Committee and served as a member of the AHA Taskforce on the Changing Workforce from 2019-2021.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization serves more than one million patients and 220,000 health plan members across 250,000 square miles. The integrated health system has 47 medical centers, 2,800 Sanford physicians and advanced practice providers, 170 clinical investigators and research scientists, more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations and world clinics in 8 countries around the globe. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
About the American Hospital Association (AHA)
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners – including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers – and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.
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