Banner Health medical providers voting to unionize.
Sessions focused on your area of interest at the 2026 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference.
The updated Medicare Advantage Toolkit.
Banner Health medical providers vote to unionize
Medical providers for Banner Health have successfully voted to unionize.
Why it matters: This is the state’s first union for physicians and advanced practice clinicians.
By the numbers: A count conducted on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, showed that 149 workers voted in favor of unionizing and 66 were against it.
The National Labor Relations Board counted the ballots, which were sent to 268 eligible voters who are providers at Banner Health.
The big picture: By voting to unionize, Banner Health physicians and advanced practice clinicians would receive representation through the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD).
While every organization's circumstances are unique, this development reinforces an important lesson for healthcare leaders: employee engagement remains one of the most effective strategies for building a strong workforce culture and maintaining positive employee relations.
Employees want to feel heard, valued and connected to organizational decision-making, particularly in today's challenging healthcare environment.
To support members, AzHHA is working with experienced labor and employment counsel to develop educational resources and programming focused on labor relations trends and employee engagement best practices.
The bottom line: These resources will provide practical guidance to help hospitals strengthen workplace culture, improve communication and proactively address employee concerns.
Check out this year’s sessions focused on your area of interest
The 2026 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference is next month! In addition to inspiring keynote speakers and panels, we are also proud to present sessions in key areas of interest:
Care excellence and patient safety
Reducing behavioral health bottlenecks: Strategies to improve throughput and access
ADHS vision and strategic priorities
Financial strategy and sustainability
Medicaid work requirements: Protecting coverage, revenue and patient access
From claims to change: Using data to drive financial performance, payer accountability and policy impact
Innovation and artificial intelligence
From innovation to implementation: Advancing patient safety through AI
Medicare Advantage Toolkit updated for 2026 Open Enrollment
The bottom line: AzHHA has updated its Medicare Advantage Toolkit to help members educate Medicare beneficiaries and their families ahead of Medicare Open Enrollment, scheduled to run from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2026.
The toolkit includes ready-to-use resources that members can customize and share within their communities.
The big picture: The toolkit is designed to support patient and community education efforts by providing information on Medicare Advantage, beneficiary rights and important considerations before enrolling in coverage.
Get to know them: Guided by its mission of helping save lives, Laerdal partners with healthcare organizations to improve patient outcomes through simulation-based education, workforce development and data-driven quality improvement.
Simulation enables healthcare teams to practice high-risk, low-frequency events, strengthen teamwork and communication, identify system vulnerabilities before they have the potential to impact patients and accelerate the adoption of best practices.
These capabilities support safer care, improved quality outcomes, greater operational efficiency and a more confident, resilient workforce.
By creating realistic opportunities to learn, practice and improve, simulation also contributes to staff engagement, professional growth and retention.
Laerdal’s solutions are used by healthcare organizations around the world in support of its goal of helping save one million more lives, every year, by 2030.
Congratulations, Mimi, on this well-deserved achievement!
Now available: Flu Vaccine Campaign Toolkit
The Health Services Advisory Group just released a new Flu Vaccine Campaign Toolkit for healthcare providers to help prepare for the upcoming flu season.
Sept. 12, Sept. 19 and Oct. 3, 2026 – AzNA Regional Townhalls Join the Arizona Nurses Association (AzNA) for its regional townhalls in September and October. Townhalls will be held in Phoenix, Flagstaff and Yuma. Board reports and networking will take place at all three events, and the full business meeting (including the induction of new board members) will occur in Phoenix. Learn more and register.
Monday, Sept. 14, 2026 – Arizona summit on workforce resilience Registration is now openfor “Resilient Together: Arizona Summit on Behavioral Health Workforce Well-being,” which will take place in Tucson, Ariz. In partnership with the Opioid Response Network, La Frontera Center and the ASU School of Social Work, this full-day summit will focus on supporting the resilience of our behavioral health workforce. Continuing education credit is available.
Sept. 16-17, 2026 – 6th Annual Maternal Health Promotion Institute: Cultural Safety in Healthcare Join the National Indian Health Board for the 6th Annual Maternal Health Promotion Institute. The institute will also combine the 2026 Tribal Health Webinar Series to highlight cultural safety in healthcare to support Indigenous birthing people and families. Learn more and register.
Friday, Sept. 18, 2026 – AzONL 2026 Summit The Arizona Organization of Nurse Leaders (AzONL) will hold it’s 2026 summit at Mayo Clinic from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. The event’s theme is “Bridging Generations, Building Leaders” and will also include naming the 2026 AzONL Nursing Leadership in Action Award winners. Register today.
Oct. 21-23 – 2026 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference The 2026 Arizona Hospital Leadership Conference will be held at the El Conquistador Tucson, a Hilton Resort on Oct. 21-23. This will be an inspirational gathering of more than 200 hospital and healthcare executives seeking opportunities for continuing education, meaningful discussion and relationship building. Registerby Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026.
Friday, Oct. 16, 2026 – APIC Grand Canyon Fall Conference Join infection prevention professionals and healthcare partners from across Arizona at the Desert Willow Conference Center in Phoenix for Mission Possible: Zero Harm. Whether you’re new to infection prevention (IP) or a seasoned IP, you’ll find practical takeaways, fresh perspectives and opportunities to learn from experts and colleagues across the state. Register now.
Save the date: Jan. 8-9, 2027 – 3rd National Pediatric Disaster Conference The conference, which will be held in Scottsdale, Ariz., will focus on pediatric mass casualty incidents and innovative approaches to strengthening preparedness, response and recovery efforts for children. AzCHER encourages members to save the date and take advantage of this opportunity to learn, connect and strengthen pediatric readiness. Registration details coming soon.
