FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 28, 2024

Sacramento, CA—On Friday, the Board of the District Hospital Leadership Forum (DHLF) announced Ryan Witz as the association’s new Executive Director. Since joining DHLF in December, Witz has led DHLF in its ongoing support of its district and municipal public hospitals as they serve California’s most vulnerable populations and communities in the state. DHLF represents all 33 of the district and municipal public hospitals, which proudly provide health care services in 19 counties across the state.

Witz will succeed Executive Director, Steve Clark, who retired in May. Clark, who helped establish the association, had served as its leader since 2009.

In coming to DHLF, Witz has brought 15-years of knowledge and experience developed by working on different aspects of the state’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal). Previously, he was the Executive Director of Medicaid Finance in California & Hawaii for Kaiser Permanente (KP), and the Group Vice President of Policy for the California Hospital Association (CHA). He also worked for the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and served as the Assistant Deputy Director, Health Care Financing, responsible for the development and oversight of the delivery, coordination, and integration of DHCS health care financing policy for the Medi-Cal program.

District Hospital Leadership Forum is a statewide trade association that represents all 33 district and municipal public hospitals to address financial issues of importance by advocating to help shape state health policy including: state budget, state legislation, state Medicaid waivers, public health system financing, and the development of new state health payment programs.

District hospitals, with publicly elected Boards of Directors, are local governments responsible for providing for the healthcare needs of their communities. Over two-thirds are rural, and more than half have a critical access hospital (CAH) designation, which are the smallest and most remote hospitals. In addition to rural and remote areas of California, district hospitals serve provider shortage areas, and urban underserved areas. In most communities, they are the sole provider of health care or specific services.

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