| Course | MHA 520 Sector Stakeholders: Identifying and Cultivating Alliances (MHA/520) |
|---|---|
| Week | 1 |
| Paper type | Networking opportunities paper |
| Length | about 1,176 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | MHA |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for MHA 520 Week 1
Beyond the Chamber Breakfast: Mapping Internal and External Networking Opportunities for a New Vice President at a Suburban Atlanta Community Hospital
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
MHA/520: Sector Stakeholders: Identifying and Cultivating Alliances
Week 1 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The hospital, its foundation, leaders and relationships are composites written for a model paper; research findings and federal requirements come from the sources cited.
On her first day as vice president of community relations at a composite 180-bed nonprofit community hospital in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, the new executive received one instruction from the chief executive: within six months, know everyone who matters to this hospital, and make sure they know us. The hospital had grown with its county's population but had few relationships outside medicine. This paper maps the networking opportunities she identified and the plan she built.
Why Networks Matter to a Hospital
Hospitals depend on relationships they do not control. Physicians decide where to admit patients; public health departments share data and responsibilities; employers choose health plans and wellness partners; community organizations reach residents the hospital cannot; donors fund what operating margins cannot; and associations shape policy. A leader's network is part of the organization's capacity.
Starting Inside
Leaders often look outward first and neglect the people inside. The vice president began with internal networks: the board of trustees and its committees, the elected leaders of the medical staff, the chief nursing officer and nurse managers, the hospital foundation's board and major volunteers, employee resource groups and the patient and family advisory council. Each holds knowledge and influence that shape how the hospital is seen outside.
The Medical Staff
Independent and employed physicians are the hospital's most important internal network. Their referral patterns, reputation in the community and willingness to support new services determine whether plans succeed. The vice president arranged to attend medical executive committee meetings and to meet each department chair.
The Foundation
The hospital's foundation raises about $3 million a year from grateful patients, businesses and community members. Its board members are among the county's most connected residents. Relationships with foundation leaders open doors to business and civic networks.
Industry Associations
Externally, the state hospital association provides policy advocacy, data and peer networks, while professional societies for health care executives, nurses and physicians offer education and mentoring. Participating in committees rather than simply attending meetings builds the relationships that matter.
Public Health
The county health department is a required partner. Federal rules require a nonprofit hospital conducting its community health needs assessment to solicit and take into account input from at least one governmental public health department and from members or representatives of medically underserved, low-income and minority populations in its community (Internal Revenue Service, 2026). These requirements come from tax rules for charitable hospitals administered by the Internal Revenue Service. A relationship formed only once every three years for the assessment is thin; one built year-round is useful.
Community Organizations
Food banks, housing agencies, immigrant-serving organizations, faith communities and schools reach residents with needs the hospital sees in its emergency department. The county's population is diverse, with large Hispanic, Korean, Vietnamese and African immigrant communities, and trusted community organizations are the bridge to them.
What Hospitals Contribute to Communities
Evidence suggests that hospitals have room to do more directly for community health. Looking at fiscal 2009, researchers found that nonprofit hospitals devoted 7.5% of their operating budgets to community benefits, with over 85% of that money covering free care and other patient services and about 5% of the remainder to community health improvements hospitals undertook directly; spending varied widely and was not explained by community need (Young et al., 2013). Most community benefit dollars are spent inside the hospital, on care; relationships determine what happens outside it.
What Partnerships Can Achieve
Some health systems now invest directly in social needs through partnerships. A study identified 78 programs by 57 health systems from 2017 to 2019 involving at least $2.5 billion, of which $1.6 billion went to housing, with other programs focused on employment, education, food security and transportation (Horwitz et al., 2020). Such investments depend on community partners who know how to deliver housing or food programs.
Employers
The county's large employers, including a logistics hub, a school district and several manufacturers, choose health plans, onsite clinics and wellness partners. Relationships with their human resources leaders can lead to direct contracts and to programs that keep workers healthy.
Government and Elected Officials
County commissioners, state legislators and city officials make decisions on roads, zoning, public health funding and Medicaid policy that affect the hospital. The vice president coordinates with the chief executive and the hospital association so that the hospital speaks consistently.
Donors
Beyond the foundation's existing donors, grateful patients, local businesses and family foundations are potential supporters. Donor relationships require trust built over years and honest reporting on how gifts are used.
What Each Relationship Requires
Networks take time. The vice president estimated that meaningful relationships with the twenty most important external partners would require about a third of her working hours in the first year. She also noted what the hospital must give in return: data, space, clinical expertise, funding and follow-through.
The 90-Day Plan
The plan set priorities. Days one to thirty: meet every board member, medical staff officer, nurse leader and foundation board member. Days thirty-one to sixty: meet the county health director, the leaders of ten community organizations serving the county's largest immigrant communities, three major employers and the state hospital association's community health committee. Days sixty-one to ninety: attend two community coalition meetings, host a listening session with community leaders and present a network map to the executive team.
Relationships the Hospital Has Neglected
The mapping exposed gaps. The hospital had no regular contact with the county's school nurses, although children with asthma and diabetes were frequent emergency patients. It had no relationship with the Korean and Vietnamese community associations, although interpreters reported rising demand in both languages. And it had lost touch with the regional federally qualified health center, which served many of the hospital's uninsured patients after discharge. Each gap became a priority.
Learning Before Asking
The vice president's approach in first meetings was to listen rather than pitch. She asked partners what they needed from the hospital, what had gone wrong in past dealings and what they were already doing well. Several community leaders said the hospital had approached them only when it needed survey responses for its needs assessment and then disappeared. Admitting that history built more trust than any promise.
Keeping Relationships Active
A contact list is not a network. The vice president set up a simple relationship log recording each meeting, commitments made and follow-up dates, and scheduled quarterly check-ins with priority partners.
Measuring Success
At six months, she will report the number of priority relationships established, partnerships launched, community input received for the needs assessment and foundation introductions made.
Conclusion
The chief executive's instruction to know everyone who matters became a map of internal and external networks, from the medical staff and foundation to public health, community organizations, employers and donors. Federal rules make some relationships required, and research on community benefits and social needs investments shows what stronger relationships can achieve. A 90-day plan and a habit of follow-through turn contacts into a network the hospital can rely on.
References
Horwitz, L. I., Chang, C., Arcilla, H. N., & Knickman, J. R. (2020). Quantifying health systems' investment in social determinants of health, by sector, 2017-19. Health Affairs, 39(2), 192-198. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01246
Internal Revenue Service. (2026). Community health needs assessments for charitable hospital organizations, 26 C.F.R. ยง 1.501(r)-3. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-26/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-1/subject-group-ECFR4bfc2d4caf6ad3a/section-1.501(r)-3
Young, G. J., Chou, C., Alexander, J., Lee, S. D., & Raver, E. (2013). Provision of community benefits by tax-exempt U.S. hospitals. New England Journal of Medicine, 368(16), 1519-1527. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa1210239
What the MHA 520 Week 1 instructions ask
MHA 520 Week 1 usually asks students to identify networking opportunities available to health care leaders, both inside and outside their organizations. Prompts may ask students to describe internal networks such as boards and medical staff, external networks such as industry associations, community organizations and donors, and explain how each can benefit the leader and the organization. Assignments differ between versions, so check yours. Strong papers go beyond listing groups to explain what each relationship offers and requires, recognize relationships that are required by law or accreditation, use evidence on how organizations work with communities and propose a practical plan for building a network.
How this MHA 520 Week 1 example is built
The paper opens with the hospital's chief executive telling a new vice president that her first job is to know everyone who matters. Internal networks are mapped: the board, medical staff leaders, nurse leaders, the foundation board and employee groups. External networks follow: the state hospital association and professional societies, the county health department, community organizations, employers, faith communities, schools and donors. Federal requirements for community input into needs assessments are explained. Research on hospital community benefit spending and health system investments in social needs shows what partnerships can achieve. A 90-day networking plan, a relationship log and six-month measures close the paper.
MHA 520 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
The networking week is typically graded on the breadth and relevance of the opportunities identified and on the explanation of their value. Graders look for internal and external networks, specific organizations and groups rather than general categories, explanation of what each relationship offers the organization, recognition of required relationships and a plan for building the network. Research and regulatory sources strengthen the analysis, particularly where a relationship is legally required. Honest attention to what each relationship requires in time and trust earns credit. Clear organization and APA style earn the remaining credit. Papers that list networking events without connecting them to the organization's goals usually lose points; so does any plan that stops after the first meeting.
MHA 520 Week 1 help: mistakes to avoid
MHA 520 Week 1 papers often fall into treating networking as attending events and collecting business cards rather than building relationships with a purpose. Start with the organization's goals and ask which relationships help reach them. Map internal networks first, since leaders often neglect the people inside their own walls. Then identify external networks by category and name specific organizations. Note relationships that law or accreditation requires, such as community input into needs assessments. Explain what each relationship offers and what it asks in return. Finally, propose a realistic plan with priorities and a schedule, and describe how you will keep relationships active after the first meeting, including who follows up, how often and what the hospital offers in return.
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- MHA 520 Week 6: Stakeholder Alliance Plan
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MHA 520 Week 1 questions, answered
What does MHA/520 Week 1 usually ask for?
The first paper generally has students identify internal and external networking opportunities for health care leaders and explain how each benefits the leader and the organization.
Where can I find a free MHA 520 Week 1 sample paper?
Anyone can read the community hospital networking paper above at no cost; notes explain each relationship. Describe your role and organization, and we draft your first paper without charge.
Must nonprofit hospitals work with public health departments?
Federal rules require nonprofit hospitals conducting community health needs assessments to seek and consider input from at least one governmental public health department and from people representing medically underserved, low-income and minority populations.
How much do nonprofit hospitals spend on community benefits?
In fiscal 2009, nonprofit hospitals devoted 7.5% of operating budgets to community benefits, and over 85% of that money covered free care and other patient services.
How much have health systems invested in social determinants of health?
A study identified 78 programs by 57 health systems from 2017 to 2019 involving at least $2.5 billion, of which $1.6 billion went to housing.
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