This panel has been approved for 1.50 ACHE Virtual Interactive Education Credits.

Note: If you are a registrant of the in-person (May 14) portion of the 2026 ACHE East-North-Midwest Texas Multi-Chapter Education Symposium, you are eligible to purchase your ticket for the below referenced virtual panel at a 25% discount. The promo code for that discount is provided to you in your confirmation email from Eventbrite for the May 14 event.

Numerous public policy and legislative issues around healthcare delivery and public health affect healthcare organizations and demand involvement of their leaders to respond and adjust organizational policies and procedures. These issues often relate to improving population health, access and coverage through Medicaid and other programs, improving value, addressing consumer issues and workforce shortages, and more. Learning these issues and being involved in policy and organizational responses is important for healthcare leaders, regardless of how directly they may be involved.

Moderator: Lance Lunsford, Senior Partner & Co-Founder, Groundswell Health

Panelists:
Steve Love, President and CEO Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council
Jorge Leal, President & CEO, Laredo Medical Center
Michaela Bennett, VP Government Relations, Children’s Health

Speakers’ Bios:

Michaela Bennett serves as Vice President of Government Relations at Children’s Health. In this role, she is responsible for developing and leading the implementation of public policy engagement with elected officials and policy makers to further the Children’s Health mission to make life better for children. Before joining Children’s Health in 2013, Michaela worked in the Texas Senate, Houston City Hall, and for multiple political campaigns. Michaela holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Boston University.

Since taking the helm as Chief Executive Officer of Laredo Medical Center in 2020, Jorge Leal, FACHE, has been a driving force behind the hospital’s transformation and growth. He joined the hospital in 2014 as the Assistant Chief Executive Officer before being appointed as the Chief Operating Officer. His leadership has guided the expansion of key service lines and clinical programs, strengthened hospital operations, and significantly enhanced patient care across Laredo, Webb County and the surrounding South Texas region.

Leal has led major developments including the opening of a brand new Women’s Imaging Center to increase access to lifesaving screenings and essential women’s health services. He also oversaw the expansion of post-acute care with the opening of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Center, adding eight skilled nursing beds and 16 inpatient rehabilitation beds, and championed the reopening of the Open Heart program, where close to 500 open heart procedures have been performed, and nearly 2000 patients have been positively impacted through its cardiac rehab services since 2022. A key achievement under his tenure was a $6.9 million renovation of the cardiac catheterization lab, which now offers advanced interventional cardiology in two suites and capabilities for electrophysiology services—bringing first-of-its-kind heart rhythm care to the community.

In 2021, LMC entered a new era in surgical care with the introduction of robotic-assisted surgery, providing surgeons with greater precision and patients with faster recovery times. A second system was added in 2023, and in 2025, the hospital celebrated over 2,500 robotic-assisted procedures across specialties including general surgery, urology, gynecology, bariatrics and orthopedics. Additionally, the hospital recently embarked in a joint venture with Gastroenterology Consultants of Laredo where over 3,000 advanced gastrointestinal procedures have been performed since January 2025.

Additionally, Leal has expanded the hospital’s infusion center, providing enhanced cancer and infusion therapy services. He has also been instrumental in increasing access to primary and specialty care, growing the hospital’s provider network from one primary care physician in 2020 to ten, along with the addition of 16 specialists. He launched primary care residency programs in family medicine and internal medicine, ensuring a pipeline of future healthcare providers for the Laredo-Webb County area. Since 2025, 79 resident physicians across five graduate medical education classes have graduated and the programs’ eighth cohort of 16 residents were welcomed with 47 residents currently enrolled. A total of 24 graduates from Laredo’s only GME program have made Laredo their home as physicians that work in various capacities throughout Laredo’s healthcare system.

Looking ahead, Laredo Medical Center will expand emergency care access to south Laredo’s growing population with the $22 million Buena Vista ER. A ground breaking was held on June 12, 2025, and the grand opening is set for summer 2026.

Beyond hospital leadership, Jorge is a dedicated civic and industry leader. He has served on the boards of numerous community organizations including the Laredo Daybreak Rotary, Laredo Boys and Girls Club, Mercy Ministries of Laredo (Past Chair), United Way of Laredo (2022–2023 President), the Laredo Chamber of Commerce (Chairman-elect 2027), and others. He currently serves on the United Day School Board and, most recently, has been appointed to the City of Laredo Economic Development Advisory Committee. At the state level, he was elected in 2024 to the Texas Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees and has served on the Council on Policy Development and HOSPAC. He currently serves as Chairman of the Texas Hospital Association’s HOSPAC. Nationally, he represents Texas as an At-Large Delegate to the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board 7.

A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Jorge earned board recertification in 2026 and was part of the inaugural class of the Texas Hospital Association Leadership Fellows Program. He is a 2018 recipient of the Texas A&M 12 Under 12 Young Alumni Spotlight, which honors recent graduates for achievements in business, service and leadership. In 2024, he was honored with the inaugural Outstanding Alumni Award from the Texas A&M Master of Health Administration Alumni Association. In 2025, the Laredo Chamber of Commerce recognized Jorge as a Business Icon Award honoree, upon his recognition as the Chamber’s first-ever recipient of the Professional Excellence Award for his commitment to healthcare excellence and community leadership.

Under Jorge’s leadership, Laredo Medical Center has earned national accolades, including recognition by Becker’s Healthcare Review as one of the “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare” and as one of “100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs.” Laredo Medical Center has also been recognized corporate wide for top employee and physician engagement which has lead to back to back awards for our hospital. His visionary leadership has not only improved clinical outcomes and operational performance but also fostered a culture of pride, empowerment, and excellence. Jorge Leal is a transformative leader—one whose impact continues to shape a stronger hospital and a healthier Laredo.

Mr. W. Stephen Love is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council which promotes collaboration, cooperation, and advocacy on behalf of its 90 member hospitals. The Hospital Council also has approximately 100 Associate Members (business and industry), including prominent accounting, legal and consulting firms. The primary mission is to drive evidence-based improvement in patient care and health equity in North Texas. He was the United Nations Association Award Winner in 2018 for Global Goals. He served as 2015 Chair for the Conference of Metropolitan and Regional Hospitals Association in the United States. He received the 2020 D CEO’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received the Dallas Medical Society’s Millard J. and Robert L. Health Award for a non-physician providing outstanding leadership to the community. He previously served on the Children at Risk Board for North Texas, Southwest Region Board for the American Heart Association, and the Chair for the March of Dimes Walk for Babies Campaign, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Dallas, and Cure Glaucoma Foundation Advisory Board. He serves on the Southwest Transplant Alliance for organ transplants; North Texas Eye Research Institute; the Metropolitan YMCA Board of Directors and received the 2024 Theodore P. Beasley Distinguished Leadership Award in 2024; the Board of Directors of Prism Health North Texas and the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He was the Chair for the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber for 2024-2025. Mr. Love has worked in healthcare management for over 50 years. He has demonstrated leadership in tax exempt, investor-owned, specialty and private hospitals in operations, finance, and corporate governance. Prior to joining the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, Mr. Love was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of a Fortune 500 healthcare company that owned over 50 hospitals and managed approximately 200 facilities in the United States.

Lance Lunsford serves as senior partner at Groundswell Health, a company he co-founded in Austin, Texas, focusing on strategic communication and marketing programs for health care organizations. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the board of the Central Texas chapter. Previously, he served as SVP of marketing and communications for the Texas Hospital Association, overseeing all strategic messaging related to legislative and regulatory affairs, including issues relating to health care delivery and finance.

Prior to joining THA, Lunsford worked as director of marketing for UMC Health System, a 400-bed hospital located in Lubbock, Texas, where he built patient volume strategies for a variety of service lines.

Lunsford started his career in journalism as a reporter before becoming city editor of a major West Texas daily newspaper at 24. Lunsford was the first to produce and implement digital content features at multiple newspapers between 2003 and 2007. In June 2024, Texas Tech University Press will release his new book Inside the Well: The Midland, Texas Rescue of Baby Jessica McClure. The book chronicles the international media spotlight in the West Texas oil town and the tragedies that followed. The book brings to life the aftermath rescuers faced as they navigated movie deals, international media, and scrutiny to become one of first high-profile cases of PTSD among first responders.