NHH board looks for Community Members at virtual open house
By Cecilia Nasmith
The Northumberland Hills Hospital board of directors is encouraging expressions of interest from local individuals who would like to volunteer on the board as Community Members.
An opportunity to meet current Community Members and learn more comes March 10 at a 7 p.m. virtual board volunteer open house via Zoom.
The board of directors is composed of volunteers from throughout West Northumberland who each bring a unique mix of professional skills and personal work/life experiences which enable the board to meet the governance responsibilities expected of public hospitals in the Province of Ontario – providing strategic direction to the management team, selecting (and evaluating the performance of) the Chief of Staff and Chief Executive Officer, providing oversight to the physician-credentialing process and monitoring the hospital's operational and financial performance.
As part of its commitment to providing meaningful opportunities for public input into the board's decision-making processes (and as a method of succession planning for the board), Community Members are regularly recruited to serve on key committees – Quality and Safety, Governance, and Facilities and Campus Development. Community Members can also attend board meetings and participate in discussions.
Community Members currently serve up to five one-year terms. While individual time commitment varies from year to year (and from committee to committee), the general expectation is one committee meeting and one full board meeting monthly from September to June – a total of approximately two hours a month). Board business is conducted with a mix of virtual and in-person meetings, which generally take place in the early morning and early evening.
Community Members may also be appointed to the board when a vacancy occurs. The skills, interests and lived experience of each member are matched with the board needs at the time, with an aim to ensure representation from across the West Northumberland region served by NHH,
The board continues to look forward to welcoming new Community Members who share the NHH core values of integrity, quality, respect, compassion and teamwork – and who reflect the growing diversity of the community they serve, and have a commitment to the hospital's shared purpose of People First.
“We understand that residents of Northumberland have many options when it comes to volunteerism,” board chair Cyndi Gilmer said in the announcement
“The purpose of our virtual forum – and, new this year, a forthcoming social-media campaign that will highlight some of the volunteers who serve on our board committees today – is to bring attention to the unique and rewarding board opportunities that are available at NHH.”
Gilmer added that the board's next intake of community members if planned for mid-June in time for new members to be introduced at the hospital's June 24 annual meeting (though expressions of interest from Community Members are welcome at any time).
If you or someone you know is passionate about making a meaningful difference in the quality and service of health care in West Northumberland, the NHH board would like to hear from you.
Prior to the open house, attendees are encouraged to review the Expression of Interest form and the Frequently Asked Questions document which can be found in the Board section of the hospital website (nhh.ca).
