The Board Member Buddy Program
Members:
I have suggested to the Central Health staff an initiative that I wanted to make the Central Health Board of Managers aware of:
The Board Member Buddy Program (BMBP):
It has always been a concern of mine that newly appointed board members show up for their first meeting and listen to many dialogs that the board has been discussing for months and they have no resource to request some background. It is like they are walking into the middle of a movie....sometimes a good movie and sometimes a bad one. I think that upon appointment to the Board of Managers, a currently serving board member should be chosen and agree to be a "Board Buddy" (BB) to explain the history of issues and clear up some of the topics that the new member may have questions about. This program will not replace the orientation program that the Central Health staff provide for new members, but this would be an additional resource available to new members.
Being a BB involves making monthly contact with the new member until they feel comfortable following board discussions without needing additional background. This contact can be either by phone or in person or whatever is mutually convenient and can cease at any time. In introducing this program, I am unaware of other board members' availability or interest to participate as a BB, therefore I volunteered to be Dr. Zunega's "BB". I have approached Dr. Zunega and she is interested in participating. In the future, the new member can pick their "Board Buddy" randomly (pull a name out of a hat) and if the board member that has been chosen cannot perform the BB duties, then another name can be chosen until there is a willing match. So eventually all Board members will have the opportunity to participate.
If Board members have concerns about the above program or have additional questions, please feel free to reply to this post or contact me in person. Charles Bell