By: Bob Scott, Director, Member Services

The National Health Council (NHC) brings diverse organizations together to forge consensus, drive patient-centered health policy, and provide a united voice for the more than 160 million people with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers. With your continued support of our mission, we envision a society in which all people have access to quality, affordable health care that respects personal goals and aspirations to promote their best possible health outcomes.

The NHC offers various member benefits to engage with and learn from other NHC staff experts and other members. Highlighted below are some key member benefits for our Patient Organization (PO) and Partners of Patient Organization (PPO) members.

Members are offered opportunities to expand their networks with the broader health community through participation in our conferences, action team meetings, affinity groups, and ad-hoc briefings.

We encourage participation in our four annual marquee events:

• Health Leadership Conference*
• Science of Patient Engagement Symposium
• Washington Representatives Retreat*
• Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon

*Health Leadership Conference and Washington Representatives Retreat are free for member nonprofit organizations and dependent on sponsorship for industry members.

The NHC hosts monthly Government Relations Action Team meetings which serve as the central forum for NHC policy and government relations professionals to get updates and provide input into the full array of patient-related policy issues on which the NHC and its members are focused.

We have Networking affinity groups for:

• Chief Executive Officers
• Chief Financial Officers
• Communications Professionals
• Chief Scientific/Medical/Research Officers
• Health Equity
• Meeting & Event Professionals

PO and PPO members are encouraged to use the online Affinity Group/Action Team Engagement form to ensure the correct staff leaders from their organizations are connected to the various action team and affinity group networks.

In addition, the NHC hosts ad-hoc meetings, events, webinars, and briefings on relevant and timely topics.

Membership in the NHC allows organizations to enhance their public profile and outreach by:

• Submitting content for the NHC’s weekly member newsletter, NHC Insider;
• Highlighting your organization and activities via a guest post on the NHC Putting Patient First blog; and
• Promoting job openings in your organization on the NHC Job Bank.

Members can gain knowledge on current issues facing the nonprofit sector, such as changes in charity rating systems, innovative fundraising techniques, relationships with the for-profit sector, and the impacts of recent tax reform.

The NHC is a CAE Approved Provider for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). Many NHC programs meet the conditions for fulfilling the professional development requirements to earn or maintain the CAE credential. Every program we offer that qualifies for credit will clearly identify the number of credits granted for full participation. Per CAE policies, the NHC also maintains records of your participation.

In May 2022, the NHC relocated to a new, larger office space at 1730 M St NW, Suite 650, in Washington, DC. We invite our members to use our conference rooms and office spaces as an option when traveling to or doing business in the DC metropolitan area.

The NHC is also pleased to offer its members the opportunity to take advantage of NHC corporate hotel rates at nearby hotels in Washington, DC. The following six hotels are offering the NHC’s corporate rates:

• Capital Hilton
• Hilton DC Capitol Hill
• Hotel Washington
• The Madison Hotel
• The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection
• The Westin Washington, D.C. City Center

*NHC members who are interested in obtaining corporate rates at these hotels should email [email protected] to request complete information.

The NHC has created a Center of Educational Excellence, an e-learning resource to help patients and patient advocates understand complex topics related to patient centricity in health care. Our website is home to training and informational modules, tools, and various webinar series.

The NHC also provides access to deep policy resources and expertise on a broad range of complex issues that impact all people with chronic conditions. To view our 2024 policy priorities, click here. The NHC strives to share relevant policy work such as comment letters, working documents on policy positions, and white papers with its members well ahead of deadlines. This allows member organizations to utilize our materials to inform their own policy positions and responses.

We also look to our membership for additional ideas on ways we can expand our benefits offerings. If you have ideas that can broaden our portfolio or want more information on the existing member benefits and opportunities, please contact the NHC Membership Team at [email protected].