SAHA celebrates 10 years
Angela Pittenger - TMC Health
·
08/05/2025
Collaboration. Innovation. Trust. Connection.
These are words hospital leaders use to describe Southern Arizona Health Alliance (SAHA); a collaboration of nonprofit community hospitals and medical centers aimed at improving the health and well-being of the region.
The alliance, spearheaded by TMC Health, started in 2015 with Benson Hospital, Northern Cochise Community Hospital, Mount Graham Regional Medical Center and Copper Queen Community Hospital. Since its inception ten years ago, the group has grown to also include Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Mariposa Community Health Centers and Canyonlands Healthcare.
“The goal is to provide tools, resources and support by the TMC Health network so all partners can align protocols, learn from each other, and enhance care in rural areas,” said Andy Shanks, director of SAHA. “They know they have a huge network of peers they can call and ask for advice. It’s been phenomenal.”
Those connections have been a meaningful tool for Robert Seamon, chief executive officer of Copper Queen Hospital in Bisbee.
“The most important function of SAHA is it connects so many rural hospitals together,” Seamon said. “It helps us work together to make sure people are taken care of locally, and if we need to have patients transferred, we have a seamless process to have them transferred to TMC for a higher level of care.”
Members not only have stronger alignment to better serve patients but also have access to peer groups and greater efficiencies in purchasing, insurance, electronic medical records, finance and more.
“It’s about how we can help each other to provide care in the best way possible,” said Lori Green, vice president and chief nursing officer of Mount Graham Regional Medical Center. “We all need each other.”
Gary Kartchner, chief executive officer of Benson and Northern Cochise Hospitals, says SAHA literally saved his hospitals from closing.
“Benson Hospital was experiencing dire financial difficulties and was well on its way to close,” Kartchner said. “I feel that without the foundation SAHA had in place, Benson Hospital would not exist. It allowed us to bring in people with specific knowledge to stabilize things. TMC had the team to make that happen. About a year later, NCCH was in the same boat – it also wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for SAHA.”
In its 10 years, some of SAHA’s accomplishments include:
- Procurement: Combined buying power has saved members hundreds of thousands of dollars that went directly into their bottom line.
- Laundry program: TMC provides laundry services for rural partners which are 60% savings from using third party services.
- Rural navigators: Navigators are positioned to ensure rural patients are connected with post-acute care in their own communities after being discharged from TMC.
- Peer groups: There are seven groups – sepsis, diabetes, cardiac, neuro, maternity, pediatrics and physician engagement – that get together to share ideas, discuss problems and align protocols with evidence-based practices to ensure seamless care.
“Honestly, I can tell you that every single day around Copper Queen, we feel the impact of SAHA,” Seamon said. “Whether that be in purchasing new equipment and being able to utilize the purchasing power of everyone together, clinical protocols in the ED, smooth transfers of patients to TMC or simpler things like linens, we are grateful to be part of the organization. It’s an excellent strategic plan and I look forward to continuing being part of SAHA.”
