A hospital’s board of trustees is entrusted with the great responsibility of overseeing one of the community’s most important institutions—one that exists for the treatment and protection of the health care needs of the community’s citizens.   For this reason, the Nebraska Hospital Association (NHA) Research and Educational Foundation developed a hospital governance community education certification process for its member hospitals, entitled the Hospital Trustee Community Accountability Education Certification Program. 

 

The Trustee Education Certification Program was designed in 2012, to enable hospitals to utilize governance best practices, to promote the coordination of care and the best use of resources, and to demonstrate to their community, lawmakers, regulators, physicians, employees, business and other community stakeholders that Nebraska hospitals are dedicated to the well-being of its citizens.  Hospital boards benefit by having consistent standards and an ability to communicate compliance with those standards to build reputation, confidence and loyalty, and be better prepared to address the health care needs of special populations, such as the uninsured, underinsured, chronic diseases, etc. The education requirements of the program assist hospital trustees to have a better understanding of expectations for individual and overall governing leadership excellence, and have a structure for improving their individual knowledge and leadership potential. This voluntary annual program ensures that trustees are kept current in the ever-changing health care landscape. 

 

Butler County Health Care Center Board of Trustees have dedicated their time and efforts to governance practices to earn NHA member hospital trustee education certification since the inception of the program.  The Board of Trustees includes: Jerry Roh (Chairman), Diane Moravec (Vice-Chair), Jim Egr (Secretary & Treasurer), Bev Struebing and Jason Lavicky.  Each member of the board have completed eight or more hours of continuing education and/or hospital committee meetings (excluding monthly board meetings).   Some of the educational events members of the board have attended are the Western Regional Trustee Symposium, NHA Advocacy Day, the Governance Institute Program, various NHA educational webinars and internal hospital committee meetings.  Board members also must meet or exceed the requirements outlined in the hospital bylaws.  

 

"The Board of Trustees of BCHCC several years before 2012 made it mandatory on themselves that they be involved in Trustee Education to stay at the "cutting edge" of Hospital Governance and Hospital trends and new ideas.   The self- imposed Trustee Education has resulted in the Wellness Center, the out- patient clinics, the surgery suites, and the soon to be completed Pediatric Therapy Clinic; among other advances, such as quality care reporting and evaluation.   The Board of Trustees are humbled by their appointments to serve health care in Butler County and take seriously their responsibility to the Butler County Community and the surrounding communities served by BCHCC,” said Jim Egr, Board Secretary and Treasurer.