America’s Essential Hospitals is the leading association and champion for hospitals and health systems dedicated to high-quality care for all, including the most vulnerable. Since 1981, America’s Essential Hospitals has initiated, advanced, and preserved programs and policies that help these hospitals ensure access to care. We support members with advocacy, policy development, research, and education.

Our nearly 275 members are vital to their communities, providing primary care through trauma care, disaster response, health professional training, research, public health programs, and other services. They innovate and adapt to lead the broader health care community toward more effective and efficient care.

Essential Hospitals Institute

Essential Hospitals Institute is the research and quality arm of America’s Essential Hospitals. The Institute supports the nation’s essential hospitals as they provide high-quality, equitable, and affordable care to their communities. Working with members of America’s Essential Hospitals, we identify promising practices from the field, conduct research, disseminate innovative strategies, and help our members improve their organizational performance. We do all of this with an eye toward improving individual and population health, especially for vulnerable people.

Our Brand

America’s Essential Hospitals was founded in 1981 as the National Association of Public Hospitals. Our initial membership of five public hospitals grew and evolved over the next 30 years, prompting us to review our brand in spring 2012. That review found that our members still share an unwavering commitment to serve all people, including the vulnerable. But it also found that our members now represent various forms of public and nonprofit systems.

Our new name, adopted in June 2013, recognizes this evolution and continues to speak to the legacy of public accountability and service and commitment to people who depend on essential hospitals for access to high-quality, affordable, and innovative health care. Communities depend on our hospitals, too: Association members serve as primary providers of essential community services that touch all people, including trauma and burn care, health professionals training, emergency preparedness and disaster response, and care coordination.