With 150 member organizations spanning every state, Civitas Networks for Health is looking to strengthen the collective role its members play in improving health locally and shaping healthcare nationally.
Civitas CEO Jolie Ritzo opened the organization’s 2026 Annual Conference in Arlington, by emphasizing the power of bringing together organizations that use data to improve healthcare quality, safety and costs, as well as address factors that influence health upstream.
“Together we are building something that is way bigger than any one organization can do alone,” Ritzo told attendees.
Civitas’ network includes health information exchanges, community information exchanges, all-payer claims databases, quality improvement organizations, regional health improvement collaboratives and strategic partners. Collectively, Ritzo described those organizations as “critical national infrastructure for health.”
The organization is also in the first year of a three-year strategic plan built around three priorities: thriving networks, valued voice and a strong foundation. The first centers on strengthening connections, engagement and shared learning across the network. The second focuses on translating members’ experiences in their communities into a stronger national voice, particularly as organizations work to put federal policy and regulation into practice.
“We are increasingly becoming a valued voice at the national level, where we’re able to talk about what does this look like in communities,” Ritzo said.
Civitas also highlighted its mission-aligned programs, which combine the expertise and trusted relationships of regional organizations with resources from national partners. Among the efforts underway is a learning community with the Consortium for State and Regional Interoperability focused on advancing health data utilities.
For Ritzo, the diversity of the network is one of its strengths. Members may serve different communities and play different roles, but sharing what works can help organizations avoid starting from scratch and accelerate progress nationally.
As she told attendees, the conference itself is an expression of that mission: an opportunity to build relationships, learn from differing perspectives and find practical solutions that individual organizations could not achieve alone.