Author

  • John Hawkins

    View all posts John M. Hawkins is president and chief executive officer of the Texas Hospital Association. He is the organization’s sixth CEO since its inception in 1930. A longtime advocacy veteran, Hawkins has more than 35 years of experience in legislative, leadership and policy circles and has deep knowledge of health care and hospital funding issues. As CEO, he represents the Texas hospital industry locally and nationally and helps ensure hospitals have the resources they need to deliver the highest quality health care to all Texans.

Articles by John Hawkins

January 23, 2024
3 min read

Our New Year’s Resolution: Set the Record Straight for Hospitals

New Year’s resolutions are all about taking a step forward – improving yourself or something about the world around you, whether striving for big changes or more modest ones. Here at the Texas Hospital Association, our New Year’s resolution is an ambitious one: set the record straight and make sure the contentious year our hospitals faced in 2023 won’t be…
December 19, 2023
4 min read

Hospitals Squelch Looming Trouble in COVID, Immigration Bills

Like most people, we were hoping it was all over. But once again, we rose to make our case – and protected Texas hospitals and health care. Months after the 88th regular session of the Texas Legislature ended – successfully for health care on many fronts, thanks to fierce THA advocacy – Gov. Greg Abbott called for the third extra…
October 24, 2023
3 min read

Rural Access is On the Ballot This November

With no major federal or state offices up for grabs, it’s likely most people aren’t thinking of this as an election year. But in fact, it is – and for health care champions, there’s one issue on the ballot particularly worth your participation, one that could potentially shape Texas’ health care landscape for a long time to come.
September 26, 2023
4 min read

Let COVID’s Resurgence Be a Reminder: Get the Shots You Need

COVID-19 is back. And while it may not become a public health emergency this time – knock on wood – its resurgence serves as a timely note of caution.
August 23, 2023
4 min read

Hard Work Continues on Behalf of Rural Hospitals

For some time, rural hospitals – the facilities in our state facing the greatest threat to their existence – have needed help. This year, in several key ways, the Texas Legislature provided a helping hand. But there remains work to do.
July 25, 2023
4 min read

Hospitals Have New Hope to Regain Needed Personnel Power

For years, hospitals here in Texas have been experiencing that opposite: We’ve been hurting as our personnel numbers have waned. But now – after a legislative session in which the Texas Hospital Association stressed workforce again and again – we’ve got the barbells, bands and machinery to regain much of our lost strength.
June 25, 2023
4 min read

Hospitals Survived a Siege This Session, and Look Now to Prevent Another One

Defense wins championships, the age-old expression goes in sports. Politics is sport in and of itself, and THA had to play some serious defense during the just-concluded session of the Texas Legislature. Now, the work begins to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
May 23, 2023
4 min read

Tell Congress to Keep Our Safety Net Wide and Strong

If there’s one theme you’ve seen me come back to in this column in the past year or so, it’s this one: Hospitals need help.
April 27, 2023
5 min read

Don’t flatline Texas health care. Will Texas protect its patients?

Dismantling hospital services does nothing for patients or the price of health care. In fact, it hurts everyone.
April 20, 2023
3 min read

Vaccines Save Lives; Let’s Make Sure Texas Law Reflects That

It wasn’t long ago that that overwhelming numbers of people across Texas and the nation – on all sides of the political spectrum – knew and acknowledged that vaccines prevent diseases.