Why HealthConnect?
Founders Barry Couch and John Henderson have been deeply involved in rural healthcare and community health for most of their working lives. The failure of hundreds of rural hospitals across the country has contributed to the deterioration and – in many cases – the virtual disappearance of the communities they once served. The Health Connect research team consistently proves there is a direct connection between the health of a hospital and the strength of its connection with the community. We are on a mission to ensure hospital leaders have the means to initiate, nurture and sustain the strongest possible connection with their communities.
Mission
HealthConnect empowers hospital and community leaders to create, deepen, and maintain the strongest possible connection between the community and its hospital.
Vision
A future in which every American rural community has a robust, vibrant, and durable health delivery system.
We Are
Advocates
Our team has spent decades growing deep roots in rural healthcare. It is our mission and purpose to empower better rural healthcare through healthier hospitals
Researchers
We conduct local, individualized research into the role community leaders are playing or could be playing to enhance the current and future health of your hospital
Facilitators
Our highly skilled experts initiate and sustain open, honest, and purposeful conversations to create a dynamic consensus among diverse stakeholders
The HealthConnect Process
Evaluate the health of your hospital
Gather key community leaders
Decide how to most efficiently help
Assess the initiative's impact on your hospital's health
Our Team
Leadership
Barry Couch
The founder and Chair of HealthSure which specializes in insurance, risk and quality management programs for community hospitals.
A significant contribution HealthSure makes to community and rural hospitals is to find ways to improve their continuity and avoid the risk of losing independence or failing. Barry’s background and experience as a hospital board member for over 35 years and his community leadership of a small Texas town including being elected Mayor, allows him to bring other community leaders together to learn how significant their community hospital is and how much better it could be. HealthSure was founded in 1998 and works with over 85 hospitals for all lines of insurance and programs to help hospitals find solutions for risk mitigation challenges.
A significant contribution HealthSure makes to community and rural hospitals is to find ways to improve their continuity and avoid the risk of losing independence or failing. Barry’s background and experience as a hospital board member for over 35 years and his community leadership of a small Texas town including being elected Mayor, allows him to bring other community leaders together to learn how significant their community hospital is and how much better it could be. HealthSure was founded in 1998 and works with over 85 hospitals for all lines of insurance and programs to help hospitals find solutions for risk mitigation challenges.
John Henderson
The president/CEO of TORCH (Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals).
He works for the 158 rural Texas Hospitals – primarily in the areas of advocacy and education. Prior to joining TORCH in April of 2018, John served as CEO at his hometown hospital (Childress Regional Medical Center) for 16 years. During that time, he served as chairman of both the TORCH and THA boards.
He works for the 158 rural Texas Hospitals – primarily in the areas of advocacy and education. Prior to joining TORCH in April of 2018, John served as CEO at his hometown hospital (Childress Regional Medical Center) for 16 years. During that time, he served as chairman of both the TORCH and THA boards.
Facilitators
Geoff Tumlin, Ph. D.
President of On-Demand Leadership and is the author of Stop Talking, Start Communicating, published internationally by McGraw-Hill.
Geoffrey is a national media expert on communication, leadership, and group performance, and his writing and ideas have been featured in dozens of media outlets including the Chicago Tribune, the L.A Times, the Globe and Mail, CNN/Fortune.com, and SiriusXM radio. Geoffrey holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Geoffrey has worked with some of the most prestigious companies in the world, including Baylor Scott and White Healthcare, Boston Scientific, Shell Oil, Tripler Army Hospital, Dow Chemical, Hibernia National Bank (now Capital One Bank), and the Houston Grand Opera. He is a frequent guest of healthcare organizations, corporations, governments, and nonprofits across North America.
Geoffrey is a national media expert on communication, leadership, and group performance, and his writing and ideas have been featured in dozens of media outlets including the Chicago Tribune, the L.A Times, the Globe and Mail, CNN/Fortune.com, and SiriusXM radio. Geoffrey holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Geoffrey has worked with some of the most prestigious companies in the world, including Baylor Scott and White Healthcare, Boston Scientific, Shell Oil, Tripler Army Hospital, Dow Chemical, Hibernia National Bank (now Capital One Bank), and the Houston Grand Opera. He is a frequent guest of healthcare organizations, corporations, governments, and nonprofits across North America.
Darrin Griffin, Ph.D.
Associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at The University of Alabama, where he served as the department chair from 2022-2024.
He is an expert on communication and group performance who has published books, several book chapters, and over twenty scholarly articles. Darrin’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and his PhD is from SUNY Buffalo and his MA and BA are from UT Austin. He consults across the United States and has served as an expert witness in jury trials in Alabama. Before entering graduate school, Darrin was a licensed plumber. He continues to remodel houses and is an aspiring pitmaster and BBQ connoisseur.
He is an expert on communication and group performance who has published books, several book chapters, and over twenty scholarly articles. Darrin’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and his PhD is from SUNY Buffalo and his MA and BA are from UT Austin. He consults across the United States and has served as an expert witness in jury trials in Alabama. Before entering graduate school, Darrin was a licensed plumber. He continues to remodel houses and is an aspiring pitmaster and BBQ connoisseur.
Research Director
Cindi Baldi, Ph.D.
Dr. Cindi Baldi is the founder and CEO of Culsure, an organizational science firm, and is the co-host of the Management Muse podcast.
She holds a Ph.D., an M.B.A., and an M.S. in Management from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.S. in Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Cindi is an expert on organizational behavior, group performance, and employee identification who has presented her research worldwide at institutions like the Stanford Business School, the INSEAD School of Business in France, and Ben-Gurion University in Israel. Cindi has written multiple articles on organizational issues for research journals like Management and Healthcare and contributed chapters in books like the Oxford Handbook of Organizational Identity.
Cindi is a serial entrepreneur who has created profitable companies throughout the United States. She coaches and advises leaders and their teams throughout the world.
She holds a Ph.D., an M.B.A., and an M.S. in Management from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.S. in Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Cindi is an expert on organizational behavior, group performance, and employee identification who has presented her research worldwide at institutions like the Stanford Business School, the INSEAD School of Business in France, and Ben-Gurion University in Israel. Cindi has written multiple articles on organizational issues for research journals like Management and Healthcare and contributed chapters in books like the Oxford Handbook of Organizational Identity.
Cindi is a serial entrepreneur who has created profitable companies throughout the United States. She coaches and advises leaders and their teams throughout the world.
