About NAHSE
National NAHSE History
In 1968, Whitney Young, the president of the National Urban League was the invited speaker at the American Hospital Association’s Annual meeting in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In his speech, he made the connection between the blight in urban America and the role of non-profit hospitals as economic engines in these communities. He challenged these hospitals to employ and promote black leadership and to administratively reflect the community in which they resided. Young’s eloquence in advocating for employment opportunities for racial minorities in hospitals was the impetus for the formation of National Association of Health Service Executives (NAHSE). Nine members adjourned to an Atlantic City hotel room to make Whitney Young’s speck a reality. The nine NAHSE organizers had played by the rules, pursued advance degrees in business and health management, and joined the professional organizations in the field. They had to use the AHA forum where one of its invited speakers had advocated for the elevation of minorities into hospital leadership to advance their economic condition and that of minority patients who needed access to health care services.
