NHH looking for Community Member volunteers
By Cecilia Nasmith
The Northumberland Hills Hospital Board of Directors is inviting expressions of interest from local residents in volunteering with the board as Community Members.
“If you're interested in local health-care delivery and you have experience as a patient or caregiver, this unique and rewarding volunteer opportunity may be something to consider,” the announcement said, adding some details about the work of the board.
This body consists of volunteers from the hospital's West Northumberland catchment area, each bringing a unique mix of skills and work-life experiences help the board meet the responsibilities expected of it by the province:
Providing strategic direction to the management team
Selecting the Chief Executive Officer and Chief of Staff, and evaluating performance
Providing oversight to the physician credentialing process and
Monitoring the operational and financial performance of the hospital
The board also regularly recruits Community Members as a key part of its commitment to providing meaningful opportunities for public input into its decision-making processes, and as a method of succession planning for the board. In addition to participating in full board discussions, these volunteers serve on the board's committees – Governance, Quality and Safety, Finance and Audit, and Facilities and Campus Development.
Community Members serve up to five one-year terms and, while the time commitment varies from year to year and from committee to committee, the general expectation for Community Members is participation in one committee meeting and one full board meeting (each about two hours in length) every other month between September and June. Participation throughout the pandemic has been virtual but, in time, it is expected that board business will return to in-person meetings.
As board vacancies occur, Community Members may be appointed to the Board of Directors. The skills, interests and lived experience of each member are matched with board needs at the time of the vacancy, as is the long-standing tradition at NHH (as documented in board bylaws) of ensuring representation from across the West Northumberland region that NHH serves.
The NHH board is committed to the core NHH values of integrity, quality, respect, compassion and teamwork. Diverse teams lead to better decision-making, and the board looks forward to continuing to welcome new Community Members who share thee values and who have a commitment to the recently updated shared purpose of the hospital – People First.
Service to the hospital is rewarding and important, Board Chair Beth Selby said in the announcement.
“We sincerely hope that local residents will once again be encouraged to take the opportunity to learn more about volunteer opportunities with the NHH board,” Selby said.
“An Expression of Interest form and a related Frequently Asked Questions document will be found in the Board section of the hospital's website. Please consider completing an Expression of Interest, and join us for our second annual Virtual Board Volunteer Open House on Tuesday, May 9, at 7 p.m. for an overview of the opportunities available, to meet current board and Community Members and ask any questions you may have.”
The hope is to co-ordinate the next intake of Community Members in mid-June, in time to be introduced at the board's annual general meeting on June 22 – though Expressions of Interest are welcome at any time.
The Zoom link and login details are provided below and also at www.nhh.ca. Everyone is welcome.
Meeting ID: 818 1895 3759
Passcode: 087561
