Hospitals and Health Systems Continue a Wonderful Legacy of National Service

On Monday, we observe two events of great importance to our nation: the quadrennial inauguration of a president, and we recognize the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who dedicated his life to nonviolent change in the cause of justice. These two occasions are intertwined in profound ways.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is our country’s only national service holiday as Americans engage in acts of service to honor the spirit of democracy and strive to better their communities.

That spirit resonates from our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, that made clear it was the role of government to serve the people, and not the other way around.  

One of Dr. King’s best-known quotes, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” is a question that hospitals and health systems answer every single day. Our dedicated and compassionate care providers do more than their part in upholding America’s civic ideal of service to others by providing healing, hope and health to all of the patients and communities they serve.

Hospitals and health systems offer 24/7 lifesaving and emergency care to every person who comes through their doors, at every stage of life between birth and death and all of the moments in between.

In addition to delivering care inside of their walls, hospitals and health systems collaborate with their communities to provide services and programs to advance health and wellness. These include preventive health screenings, programs to address food insecurity, affordable housing, behavioral health services and transportation to medical appointments, just to name a few.

Now, with the campaign and election season behind us, it is more important than ever to protect and support hospital and health systems’ ability to serve the public good. We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress on bipartisan efforts to advance health in our nation.

The AHA this week released its 2025 Advocacy Agenda outlining issues on which we will engage with Congress, the Administration, regulatory bodies and the judiciary to shape public policy to advance hospitals’ efforts to provide quality patient care.

The agenda includes specific priorities focused on: ensuring access to care; strengthening the health care workforce; advancing quality, equity and health care system resiliency; leading innovation in care delivery; and reducing health care system costs for patient care.

As part of our efforts to highlight the indispensable role hospitals and health systems play in every community across America, the AHA this week began an ad campaign that includes a 30-second commercial running on national and cable TV, as well as stations in Washington, D.C. We’re also pushing the ad on digital and social platforms to key audiences.

In addition, the Coalition the Strengthen America’s Healthcare, of which the AHA is a founding member, is running new digital billboard advertising at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport highlighting how hospitals are always there for patients and communities.

Many local and national organizations, as well as government agencies, partner to organize and promote service opportunities on this national day of service.

All of us can do our part and contribute something in the way of service of others. That spirit has distinguished our country since the start, and hospitals and health systems will continue each day to uphold and honor the ideals America was founded upon by serving people and working to build strong communities for generations to come.