VITAL2026 is designed for essential hospital leaders, including CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CNOs, CMOs, government relations and compliance leaders, and department heads responsible for operations, patient experience, quality, finance, and community health. If you’re leading an essential hospital through today’s complex health care challenges, this conference is for you.

Business casual attire is appropriate for all conference events. While Minneapolis can be quite hot in June, hotel conference rooms often have fluctuating temperatures, so we recommend dressing in layers.

No, preregistration is not required.

America’s Essential Hospitals is committed to hosting inclusive and accessible events that allow all individuals to engage fully. If you require accommodations to fully participate in this event, you may request them during conference registration or by contacting events@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0137. Requests should be made by May 26 to ensure proper coordination and arrangement of your request. The association will make every effort to accommodate requests made after May 26, but they will not be guaranteed.

Off-site venues are accessible. If you have specific accessibility needs or questions, contact us.

All breakout sessions and general sessions will feature live captioning and translation services powered by Wordly, which has been trained in health care terminology to ensure accurate, accessible communication for all attendees.

Quiet Room 

Networking is an essential part of every conference, but long conference days can be draining. If you need a moment of quiet to recharge, step away from the crowds, or simply catch your breath, please visit our calm space located in Fjords 1 on the second level. It’s a place to decompress, collect your thoughts, and return to the day refreshed.

• Over 15 dynamic breakout sessions across four specialized tracks, along with can’t-miss keynote presentations on the most important issues facing essential hospital leaders today. Each session will give you insights you can put into action the moment you return to your hospital
• Expanded networking breaks and downtime on the agenda, enabling more meaningful and personalized engagement with fellow attendees
• Access to digital conference materials and presentations via the mobile app
• A poster gallery showcasing the work from essential hospital peers
• Opening reception and poster session on Wednesday, June 10
• Networking breakfast on Thursday, June 11, and Friday, June 12
• Gage Awards luncheon on Thursday, June 11 
• Rooftop social event at The Dayton’s Project on Thursday, June 11 

To receive the early bird rate, you must register by Feb. 27. We will accept onsite registrations with a valid credit card payment. Payment must be received before attending the conference.  

General questions: Ashli Billington, ABillington@essentialhospitals.org 

Sponsorship and corporate membership: Amit Kumar, AKumar@essentialhospitals.org 

Gage Awards: Amanda Jepson, AJepson@essentialhospitals.org 

Accessibility and accommodations: Megan Fillebrown, MFillebrown@essentialhospitals.org 

America’s Essential Hospitals is authorized to award preapproved ACHE Qualified Education credit (non-ACHE) toward advancement or recertification in the American College of Healthcare Executives for attending VITAL2026.

To apply continuing education hours toward ACHE Qualified Education credit, attendees should indicate their participation in VITAL2026 when applying to the American College of Healthcare Executives. A uniform certificate of attendance will be available on our mobile app and can also be obtained by contacting events@essentialhospitals.org. We encourage you to use the uniform certificate of attendance to calculate your total number of earned continuing education units and submit them to ACHE. 

Our eco-friendly lanyards are made from sustainable cotton and feature plant-based biodegradable attachments. The lanyards break down naturally after use and don’t require special recycling. Simply toss after use.  

We participate in a tag-back badge recycling program that ensures name badge holders are properly recycled after the event. Badges can be dropped in collection bins at the end of the event.

All conference materials can now be found on our mobile app to reduce our use of paper.

America’s Essential Hospitals reduced the availability of plastic water bottles and now provides greater access to water coolers and pitchers throughout the meeting space. Bring a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated!