The “Must Knows” of Hospital Governance

Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing a number of you in Dallas at our Spring Orientation and Trustee Workshop. I was reminded of how much I enjoy working with the trustees and how important education is for governing board members. Trustees are seen as community leaders and often are sought for advice and health care information. Fortunately, you can keep current on issues that matter while saving on travel costs.  Bring THT's educational resources directly to your local board room –all you need is a speaker phone. The THT Spring Teleconference series, The “Must Knows” of Hospital Governance, will educate you on building relationships with your CEO and physicians, and the basic roles and responsibilities of a board member. You can register for one session or the three-part series (March 25, April 22, June 3).

Looking for a few trustees to take action

For the first time in more than a decade, access to health care is at the forefront of the national legislative agenda. As governing board members, you are in a unique position to help your hospital and THT bring important health care issues to state and local elected officials. We are looking for trustees to serve as advisors to provide THT with the hospitals' perspective on workforce shortages issues, advance directives or the uninsured/Medicaid issue. If you have an interest in speaking out on these issues, please contact me.

Recognition time

The Texas Healthcare Trustees Foundation's Recognized Trustee Program is designed to honor governing board members who meet specific education and governance standards. These Recognized Trustees represent the most essential aspects of trusteeship:  community stewardship, leadership, dedication to effective governance and vision. Trustee recognition is for a two-year period, and may be achieved repeatedly. I hope each of you will aspire to achieve this recognition. We accept applications year round. For those who wish to be recognized in July at our Annual Conference, please submit your application (or renewal if already recognized) by May 15, 2008.

Governing to Greatness Tip

“Governance teams must move from trusteeship of the organization to stewardship of the community. There is a world of difference between these two approaches to governance.”

- From “Community Stewardship: Applying the Five Principles of Contemporary Governance,”  Scott W. Goodspeed

Stacy Cantu
President
Texas Healthcare Trustees