Health centers operate in a changing and increasingly complex health care environment. It is important that health center board members understand the role of the board and their responsibilities as board members. Board Member Boot Camp starts with a review of board roles and responsibilities and an overview of the legal duties of board members. This offering also provides a deep dive into several areas of responsibility including quality oversight and financial oversight, and an introduction to advocacy for board members. Participants will also gain an understanding of where to access additional resources about health center board roles.
Boards of directors play a vital role in the overall success and sustainability of health centers. This segment will review the roles and responsibilities of the board. It will also include discussion of the legal duties of board members and the importance of the board-CEO partnership. This section will include some discussion of the board’s oversight of the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Program.
Learning Objectives:
Outline overall health center board roles and responsibilities.
Explore the role of the board compared to the CEO, and discuss components of the board-CEO partnership.
Define the legal duties of individual board members.
The board is responsible for safeguarding the organization’s assets. This segment covers the establishment of financial priorities for the health center, budget approval, internal control policies and procedures, long-range planning, financial statements, and the audit.
Learning Objectives:
Outline the board's financial oversight role.
Outline various questions board members can ask related to financial oversight.
This section will combine two critical focus areas for health center boards:
Providing Oversight of Quality - Providing quality health care services is central to the mission of health centers. The governing board has a critical role in providing oversight of the quality assurance and quality improvement program. This segment defines quality and discusses the board’s oversight role related to quality.
Board Member Advocacy - This segment will include an introduction to advocacy for board members.
At the conclusion, participants will have an opportunity to reflect on items they will take back to their boards or implement to make themselves a more effective board member.
Learning Objectives:
Define quality and explore its importance for health centers.
Outline the board’s role in providing oversight of quality.
Discuss ways board members and the board can engage in advocacy.