CAPH Long-Time CEO Retires, Passes Torch to New Leadership.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems announces the retirement of Denise K. Martin, who has served as President and CEO since 1993.

Martin led the state's public hospitals through the arenas of state and federal health policy for years in which the demand for safety net services grew as the uninsured population increased and the health care market became more cut-throat. Under her leadership, CAPH repeatedly beat back attempts to cut Medicaid funding to public hospitals. In fact, Martin increased key revenue streams by hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of her tenure.

She also presided over the creation in 1999 of the California Health Care Safety Net Institute, an affiliate of CAPH that provides public hospitals with clinical training and quality improvement opportunities.

"Denny has defended public hospitals with passion and intensity," said William Walker, MD, Chair of the CAPH Board. "She always had the right argument and pertinent facts at hand to get the job done."

Over the past 18 months, Martin led public hospitals through the difficult negotiations between the state and federal governments for a new system of financing hospital care for the uninsured and Medi-Cal patients. Although CAPH opposed the deal, it leant its technical and legal expertise to the endeavor and ultimately crafted legislation to implement the new system, ensuring that it reflect the operational needs of the affected hospitals.

Martin's health care career began as an emergency room nurse at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. "That's where I learned about the importance of the safety net -- the patients whose lives depend on it, and the dedicated and talented people whose work keeps it going," she said. "They are who I have fought for all these years, and the need today is greater than ever."

The CAPH Board of Directors has appointed Melissa Stafford Jones as the new President and CEO. Stafford Jones has served as the organization's Vice President and Director of Policy since 2000. Prior to that, she was Regional Vice President for the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California. She also served as an analyst in the Nevada state legislature and worked in administration at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center. Stafford Jones holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley.

"Melissa has an incredible work ethic, maturity with the issues and the energy, intelligence and drive to lead public hospitals to the next frontier," Martin said.

CAPH, a non-profit trade association, has represented the state's public hospitals through policy and advocacy work, member service and public education since 1983.