Mercy Philadelphia Hospital
Mercy Philadelphia Hospital is non-profit community teaching hospital situated in West Philadelphia. For the past ninety years, the hospital has been providing quality healthcare services and comprehensive programs to their patients. The hospital has seven main departments such as Radiology, Pathology Psychiatry, Pathology, Obstetrics, Research and Gynecology, and is under the leadership of voluntary Board of Directors (American Hospital Association, 1994).
Names and Titles (Functional) Used For the Board of Directors
According to Kathryn Conallen, the hospital’s CEO, the non-governmental organization is run by a ten-member Board of Directors consisting of eight physician members, the CEO and the Chairman of the Board. The following are their names and functional titles:
Is There Any Compensation Given To These Board Members?
The policy of Mercy Philadelphia Hospital prohibits members of the Board of Directors from benefiting financially from the membership and, therefore, there is no compensation given to them (American Hospital Association, 1994). The board members are expected to derive their satisfaction from serving the community, as well as the community status accorded to them for being in the board.
What Staff Member (s) of The Nonprofit Are Officially on The Board of Trustees?
The official members of the board are the eight physician members of the board are the first eight members in the above list. The Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman have no voting powers in the businesses of the board; hence, they are not official members.
Can Any Of These Individuals Vote On Matters To The Business Of The Board?
Yes. All the official members of the board i.e. the eight physician members have voting rights and, therefore, they can vote in the businesses of the board.
The Standing Committees of the Board
The hospital’s board operates via two standing committees, namely, the executive and community outreach committee. The executive committee consists of chairman (Brian Preski) and vice-chairman (Amos Scott). The community outreach committee consists of Dr. Chauncey M. Harllee, Frederick M. Hopkins and Dr. Harold E. Pierce.
How Often Do The Bylaws Call For The Board To Meet During The Course Of The Year?
The Board of Directors of Mercy Philadelphia Hospital meets every three months to discuss the agendas of the board. Of importance to note is the fact that the physician members of the board serve a three-year term and every December the board holds a shareholders’ meeting in which 4 new board members are chosen.
In Your Opinion And From What You Can Discern From Your Research, How Diverse Is This Board?
From this research, I have realized that it is not an easy task to speak to the CEO of organizations, whether small or big. They are always busy. I had to beg the hospital’s receptionist several times to allow me see her boss, after explaining the significance and urgency of my interview to her. The interview went well, and the CEO was very open and willing to answer all my questions. From the information I gathered, I realized that this board lacks diversity. This is because it is only composed majorly of the hospital’s medical staff; no lawyers or local community members, or even people from the business community. According to Lamar University (2009), inclusion of people from different backgrounds is very important to ensure that the decisions of the board incorporate the input of all the stakeholders of the hospital.
Do You Think It Well Represents The People That It Serves?
No. As I have said above, the board tends to consist mainly of the medical staff. It lacks representation from the local community, legal sector, human resource department, as well as the business community. All these people are vital in broadening the viewpoint of the board on various matters affecting the hospital.
Area of Improvement in Board’s Composition
The main area of improvement in the board’s composition is the issue of gender balance. Other than including a wide variety of people in the board as suggested above, there should be gender equality in the board’s membership. Currently, there are only two women, compared to the eight men in the board.