WVHA Team
Office of the President
Jim Kaufman, President and CEO
jkaufman@wvha.org | 304.353.9716
Jim Kaufman serves as President and CEO of the West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA). Prior to joining WVHA, Jim served as vice president of public policy for the Children’s Hospital Association and director of government affairs for the Johns Hopkins Institutions.
With over 25 years of health policy experience, he has advocated at the federal, state, and local levels, addressing a variety of issues to improve access to care including Medicaid hospital payments, Medicare physician incentive reforms, and biomedical research. Jim’s experience also includes the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the Maryland General Assembly.
In addition, Jim is a member of the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) Board of Trustees, the West Virginia University’s Master of Health Administration Advisory Board, an instructor with the West Virginia Rural Community Health Scholars programs, and the American Legion Mountaineer Boys State program.
Jim earned his bachelor’s degree from McDaniel College, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore Graduate Schools.
The West Virginia Hospital Association is based in Charleston, WV.
Kathy Watts, Executive Assistant to the President/Director of Corporate Events
kwatts@wvha.org | 304.353.9723
Jan McComas, Receptionist/Administrative Assistant
jmccomas@wvha.org | 304.344.9744
Legislative Advocacy/Grassroots and Communications
Tony Gregory, Vice President, Legislative Affairs
tgregory@wvha.org | 304.353.9719
Brandon Hatfield, Vice President and General Counsel
bhatfield@wvha.org | 304.353.9720
Whitney Cherry, Coordinator, Communications & Legislative Affairs
wcherry@wvha.org | 304.353.9717
Jacob Hall, Director, Creative Content
jhall@wvha.org | 304.353.9734
Coordinates WVHA legislative strategy and advocacy efforts. Develops legislative policy and strategy, monitors state and federal policy that affects healthcare and hospitals and implements plan to address legislative priorities for the Association. Assists hospitals with cultivating relationships with government officials at all levels.
Updates members on pending legislation and regulations. Develops publications and other materials to inform and educate the media and public about healthcare issues.
Grassroots Advocacy – coordinates grassroots advocacy activities through local hospital networks (HOSNET) to support WVHA public policy agenda.
Political Action – Organizes fundraising campaigns and coordinates the endorsement process of statewide elected officials and candidates through the hospital political action committee (HOSPAC).
Financial Policy Development
Melanie Dempsey, Vice President, Financial Policy
mdempsey@wvha.org | 304.353.9756
Coordinates WVHA advocacy efforts and develops Association policy with regard to Medicare, Medicaid, PEIA and other governmental payor financing issues and the development of managed care in West Virginia.
Provides Data services and information, provides guidelines and suggests strategies to assist member hospitals to effectively monitor financial health.
Quality and Data Services
Hallie Morgan, Vice President, Quality and Data Services
hmorgan@wvha.org | 304.353.9714
Jordan Wilton, Director, Data Analytics
jwilton@wvha.org | 304.353.9721
Liz Tate, Director, Data Collection and Training
ltate@wvha.org | 304.353.9710
Ron Vickers, Director, Information Services
rvickers@wvha.org | 304.353.9706
Jacob Hall, Director, Creative Content
jhall@wvha.org | 304.353.9734
Responsible for issues related to hospital licensure, quality improvement organization activities, medical practice acts, licensing boards and actions, quality, utilization review, risk management, malpractice, medical records, infection control, outcome measurement, medical staff issues, hospital accreditation issues, AHA data profiles, database development and maintenance, and Internet/Intranet development and maintenance.
Critical Access Hospital Network
Tamara Tolliver, Director, Critical Access Hospital Network
ttolliver@hefwv.org | 304.353.9715
Coordinates the activities of the WVHA Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Network. The WVHA CAH Network was established in 2004 with the coordination and support of the West Virginia Hospital Association. The CAH Network receives financial support through member dues with grant funding from the West Virginia Rural Health Systems Program administered by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
Hospital Emergency Management
Samantha Stamper, Director, Hospital Emergency Management
sstamper@hefwv.org | 304.353.9728
Lisa Green, Program Manager
lgreen@hefwv.org | 304.353.9705
Provides support to individual hospitals and hospital planning regions in being prepared for all types of emergencies and disasters. Through the WVHA coordinated Statewide Disaster Taskforce, participating hospitals receive funding for emergency response equipment and supplies, training opportunities, and assistance with exercises to test and improve response plans. WVHA is a sub-recipient of federal Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) funds, through the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.
Workforce Development
Amber Furman, Director, Workforce Development
afurman@wvha.org | 304.353.9736
Coordinates activities associated with the recruitment, retention, and pipeline of the hospital workforce. Connects stakeholders, supports innovative programs, and synthesizes data to monitor the workforce and make informed decisions.