Commhit

10/08/2026

We’re unveiling Florida’s next era of rural and community health at CommHIT26 at our Kennedy Space Center HQ—because the scale of this work deserves a launchpad. CommHIT Everywhere is moving into action across the state, and Music Forms Memories—led by Michael Feinstein—is woven directly into that transformation.

A five‑time GRAMMY®‑nominated artist and the most globally celebrated performer and preservationist of the Great American Songbook, Michael ensures that CommHIT Everywhere remains human‑centered at every layer.

On December 10 and 11, you’ll join leaders in health, technology, public safety, government, and culture launching CommHIT Everywhere and advancing Florida’s next‑generation, human‑centered community health infrastructure. Michael’s keynote isn’t just a keynote; it’s an introduction to his role in CommHIT Everywhere.

Come be part of the lift‑off. Registration details for CommHIT26, along with the foundation of how CommHIT Everywhere will operate across rural Florida, are included in the press release.

Statewide initiative strengthens preventive, in home, and connected care.

10/01/2026

Across rural Florida, the first signs of long‑awaited renewal are emerging, thanks to the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). Led by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), the state has now entered full implementation, with 80+ projects receiving RHTP subawards this year to expand access, strengthen the workforce, and modernize rural care. These investments give communities the tools to strengthen care close to home.

On September 22, 2026, CMS Division Director, Office of Rural Health Transformation, Division of State Rural Engagement Jason Berry, MPA and CMS State Project Officer, Office of Rural Health Transformation Kessa Frantz traveled to Florida to meet with AHCA Deputy Secretary Kimberly Smoak, AHCA RHTP Director Antraneise Jackson, DrPH, MPH, and AHCA RHTP Deputy Director Daphnie Loriston, DrPH, MPH to see the transformation taking shape on the ground.

CommHIT leadership—CEO Kendra Siler, PhD, CMIO David Willis, MD, and CTO Kevin Salzer, MSP, AICP—and Nassau County partners demonstrated how rural innovation is moving from concept to daily practice through the CommHIT Everywhere RHTP.

CommHIT is honored to serve as a statewide AHCA subawardee. CommHIT Everywhere is building an out‑of‑hospital rural care infrastructure that works before, during, and after the emergency. That means care‑at‑home models that reach people where they are; mobile health units that reduce preventable crises; and advanced technology that keeps rural residents connected to care between visits.

Technology makes the connection possible; humanity makes it matter. And when those two forces meet, even the most rural road becomes a front door to high‑quality care.

We are grateful to CMS for spending time with our partners in Nassau County and for recognizing the momentum underway. Partners include: Florida Department of Health – Nassau County (Cara Gluck), Angel Kids Pediatrics & Behavioral Health (Ashraf Affan, MD), Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare (Laureen Pagel), Hilliard Pharmacy (Scott Hayes), Acadian Health (Jeremy Coombs), Telescope Health (Matt Thompson, MD), Sunshine Health (Heather Urquides), and Tripp Hollander Advisors (THA) (Lisa Tripp).

Florida’s rural communities deserve nothing less—and CommHIT is honored to help materialize a future where a person’s ZIP code never determines the quality of the care they receive.

*Special thanks to Callahan BBQ and Phoenix Marsiglio for keeping us nourished.

09/11/2026

Twenty five years ago, a nation found strength in one another. In the aftermath of 9/11, compassion moved through cities, neighborhoods, small towns, and frontier landscapes—every American came together in one of America’s darkest moments. That spirit endures in the work of those who bring care closer to home, in emergencies and each day.

On this Patriot Day, CommHIT remembers the lives lost and the bravery of first responders, honoring the resolve that rose when everything else fell.

08/27/2026

As CommHIT marks its 15-year anniversary, today marks the acceleration of its foundational mission: care everywhere it's needed.

Through a Rural Health Transformation subaward from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, CommHIT is ensuring at rural healthcare across Florida will look fundamentally different by this time next year.

The initiative, CommHIT Everywhere, is led by CommHIT CEO Dr. Kendra Siler.

CommHIT's executive team guiding this statewide rollout includes CMIO Dr. David Willis driving robust Health Information Exchange (HIE) integration and remote patient telemonitoring programs and CTO Kevin Salzer, MSP, AICP is a transportation expert leading mobile programs.

Bringing a vision of this scale to life takes extraordinary partners. We are grateful to know and work with our participating rural safety net partners and workhorse technology partners who care for rural Floridians. We have deep gratitude to Michael Feinstein who is integrating the Music Forms Memories initiative into our care model, and to our incredible ambassadors, international icons Debbie Allen and Liza Minnelli, for championing health and workforce on the national stage. Special thank you to Carrberry Companies for their vision and collaboration.

Because when high-tech innovation meets the human heart, healing is never out of reach.

🔗 Read the full coverage and announcement:

/PRNewswire/ -- Imagine a healthcare system that doesn't wait for a crisis. A system where care can come to your home before you ever need an ambulance. Where...

08/26/2026

At CommHIT, we join millions of people around the world in celebrating the life of Dolly Parton and the extraordinary compassion that accompanied her remarkable career. Her commitment to humanity—especially children, education, healthcare, and rural communities—demonstrates how one person's success can be used to improve the lives of countless others.

Dolly understood the individual needs of communities too often overlooked. Her philanthropy supported healthcare facilities including children’s hospitals, while her Imagination Library placed books into the hands of young people and families around the world. Those efforts were not simply charitable gestures. They changed real lives, served real needs, and created opportunities that will last for generations.

One of Dolly’s great initiatives was job creation at Dollywood. This aligns so powerfully with our workforce programs.

CommHIT honors icon Dolly Parton by recognizing the values reflected throughout her life: compassion, dignity, generosity—an unwavering commitment to helping others, always with love and sparkle.

Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and the millions of people around the world who found joy, comfort and inspiration in her talents, music and her humanity.

The accompanying song features Dolly performing George and Ira Gershwin's “Love Is Here to Stay" with CommHIT Ambassador Michael Feinstein, from Gershwin Country, executive produced by CommHIT Ambassador Liza Minnelli.

The song is especially powerful today, offering a loving tribute to an artist whose warmth and impact will forever be remembered.

08/13/2026

A wonderful Atlanta afternoon at Mary Mac’s Tea Room—and a bold step forward for rural Florida.

Founded in 1945 by Mary MacKenzie, Mary Mac’s Tea Room is Atlanta’s last surviving “tea room,” a post‑World War II tradition created by enterprising women building new livelihoods. By 1962, it had become one of the city’s first integrated restaurants.

It was the perfect setting for CommHIT’s meeting with two of its national partners: Tripp Hollander Advisors (THA) and Acadian Health. In between flights, we aligned on immediate plans to expand access, modernize care, and build the partnerships that make real transformation possible.

The walls at Mary Mac’s tell their own story—photos of Newt Gingrich, CommHIT supporter Richard Thomas, and an encased American flag remind you that this restaurant has long been a crossroads for history, culture, and leadership.

We leave ready for the next phase of our joint work. Rural Florida, we’re coming with purpose.

07/30/2026

BHCon2026 will be in Orlando on August 26–28. BHCon2026 returns as the largest behavioral health conference in the Southeast, convening professionals from across the country to strengthen behavioral health systems, advance recovery and resilience, and highlight the frontline roles that move the field forward. Event details and registration are available through https://web.cvent.com/event/6015103c-b1fb-428a-a3bc-1aabfa9b9010/summary

When CommHIT launched the nation’s first rural‑based Health Information Exchange, Meridian Healthcare was the first organization to join, serving as a medical home for individuals in its care. CommHIT continues to hold a special place for then Meridian CEO Margarita (Maggie) Labarta, Meridian CIO Don Savoie, and Melisa Urrutia, who now serves as Meridian’s SVP/CIO and as Vice Chair of the Florida Behavioral Health Association (FBHA) CIO Group. As well as the Florida Behavioral Health Association's CEO Melanie Brown-Woofter.

The CommHIT Team looks forward to joining partners and colleagues at BHCon2026 as Florida continues advancing behavioral health innovation as, where we can, we help shape Florida’s behavioral health landscape and data sharing, rural health innovations, and connected care. In addition to being a founder of CommHIT, CommHIT CEO Kendra Siler, PhD is an appointed member of AHCA’s statutorily-established State Consumer Health Information and Policy Advisory Council. Through the Council’s work, Florida advances policies that improve data quality, transparency, and connected care, all of which are essential to modernizing all healthcare in Florida, including behavioral health and supporting recovery.

07/21/2026

Live now on the CommHIT website: the 2026 FTFC × CommHIT MIH Partner Lab Photo Gallery.

Revisit the moments that highlight collaboration, expertise, and shared purpose across every session of this year’s Partner Lab. The gallery captures the spirit of connection that continues to strengthen Florida’s Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) community.

CommHIT and FTFC are carrying that momentum forward as the MIH community reconvenes at CommHIT26 on December 10 at Kennedy Space Center. Expect surprises!

Explore the MIH Partner Lab Gallery: https://commhit.org/ftfc-x-commhit-mih-partner-lab-2026/

07/16/2026

In rural America, care is present but uneven—strong in moments, strained in others—and families often carry more than any system realizes. CommHIT understands why support stretches thin. With that, we develop and tighten the systems that make healing possible through care innovations, technology, transportation, and workforce development.

In this video, Michael Feinstein brings a deeply human lens to that reality. As a five‑time GRAMMY‑nominated performer and Founder of the Great American Songbook Foundation, he shows that healing is never only medical—it’s emotional, cultural, and profoundly human. Just as music reaches places in the heart that words cannot, CommHIT reaches communities that systems have overlooked.

Our collaboration with Michael Feinstein and Carrberry Companies LLC on Music Forms Memories grows from that shared understanding. Together, we’re building cognitive and emotional pathways that reach and support patients everywhere.

CommHIT strengthens care coordination, expands access, and leverages technology to bolster connection. No community should be overlooked.
This is how we bring Care. Everywhere.

07/09/2026

Care can be hard to navigate; distance shouldn’t make it harder. CommHIT CTO Kevin Salzer spent time with a patient who uses MyHealthDrīv, CommHIT's rural care coordination and transportation service. In rural North Florida, long drives and limited access can stand between a patient and the care they need. MyHealthDrīv closes the gap with dignity, consistency, and human connection. This is the work that defines us: care that reaches people, not the other way around.

Learn more at myhealthdriv.org