As we welcome 2026, we enter a moment of reflection and renewed purpose for healthcare systems across the country. This issue begins that conversation by examining the challenges ahead and highlighting areas where meaningful progress is already taking shape across public health, supply chain operations, and sterile processing.
Associate Editor Matt MacKenzie highlighted a change in public health initiatives in his feature article as these institutions continue to face turbulence. The Governors Public Health Alliance is a group of 15 state governors that has been formed to share data, communicate about emerging health threats, strengthen emergency preparedness, and align public health policies across their states. State coalitions are not new, but this alliance aims to advance coordinated, evidence-based public health strategies.
Just as states are recognizing the value of shared information and coordinated action, health systems are facing a similar imperative within their own operations as HPN discovered through a recent webinar series on strengthening supply chains.
Greater visibility into the healthcare supply chain post pandemic has helped systems mature, but it also brings new risks. Not every fluctuation signals trouble, and quick reactions can sometimes create instability instead of preventing it. The next stage of resilience requires tools and strategies that help leaders interpret complexity, anticipate problems, and act with purpose.
This broader challenge of managing complexity is also evident much closer to the point of care. For years, sterile processing professionals have worked under increasing pressure. They are asked to speed up instrument turnaround, support growing surgical volumes, manage complex devices, and help protect patients from infection. Yet they often operate without standardized national metrics that would allow them to understand performance, measure quality, or justify the resources they need.
As Senior Contributing Editor Kara Nadeau found out, many SPD leaders must advocate for staffing, equipment, and technology without the data that other clinical departments rely on. Although healthcare is highly data driven, sterile processing continues to function with limited visibility into workloads, bottlenecks, or the true cost of reprocessing.
Across public health, supply chain operations, and sterile processing, a common need stands out. Healthcare requires transparency, stability, and clear information that supports confident decision making.
