Helping Members Help Themselves
Diversifying Health Care Governing Boards: GNYHA Center for Trustee Initiatives and Recruitment
In 2005, GNYHA created the Center for Trustee Initiatives and Recruitment, a focused effort to help GNYHA hospital and continuing care members achieve racial and ethnic diversity on their governing boards. A diverse board will not only enhance a health care organization’s operations, but such diversity assists hospitals and continuing care facilities to fulfill their commitment to the communities they serve. As of June 2007, the Center has been responsible for the placement of 15 exceptional candidates—entrepreneurs, senior executives, and civic leaders, all from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds—on its member hospital governing boards. As an institutional part of GNYHA’s member support efforts, the Center’s services are available to assist member facilities in their efforts to enhance connections to diverse communities by reflecting that diversity on their governing boards.
The Increasing Diversity of Our Communities: According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2000 census and from the NYC Department of Planning’s 2005 Consolidated Plan, the diversity of NYC’s population continues to increase, with no one racial and ethnic group making up more than half of the total population. The 2000 Census also documents that from 1990 to 2000, the number of white non-Hispanics declined as a percentage of the City’s total population, from 43% to 36%. The Hispanic portion of the City’s population rose from 24% to 28%, the Asian or Pacific Islander population rose from 7% to 10%, and the black or African-American (non-Hispanic) population remained at 25%. Statewide, New York’s population of 18.9 million comprises 62% white, 15% African American, 15% Hispanic, and 7% other (U.S. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, March 2004 and 2005). Similar population diversity trends can be found in the surrounding metropolitan area and in other areas, especially urban areas, throughout the State.
Addressing Increased Diversity: The changing demographics of the communities served by GNYHA members, combined with the long-standing health disparities faced by underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, present a significant challenge to health care providers, both in New York and throughout the nation. The Center is a service that GNYHA members can utilize to assist in embracing this diversity at the governing board level, the level at which health care delivery and policy decisions are made and where discussions about a facility’s community benefit efforts are most important.
Clearly, the challenge of diversifying boards of trustees of heath care institutions is not unique to New York, just as the challenge of diversifying governing boards is not unique to health care. A 2005 study by the Alliance for Board Diversity found that a majority of the nation’s boardrooms are still largely white and male. More specifically, the Alliance’s study found that among Fortune 100 companies, African Americans held 10% of the board seats, Hispanics held 4%, and Asian Americans held 1%. The statistical representation of underrepresented groups has remained relatively unchanged through 2007. (See Spencer Stuart’s 2006 Board Diversity Reports and the Hispanic Association Corporate Responsibility’s 2007 Corporate Governance Study.)
The Center’s Services: The mission of the Center is to serve as a clearinghouse for members to identify potential candidates from underrepresented racial and ethnic communities to serve on their boards of trustees. The Center creates a pipeline of candidates by reaching out to professional associations, investment firms, civic and business organizations, and advocacy groups. Its partners in this effort include the individuals who served on GNYHA’s Advisory Task Force on Diversity in Health Care leadership, a body established by GNYHA’s Board of Governors to make recommendations for diversifying health care leadership, including the management of health care institutions in GNYHA’s membership. Candidates are vetted by the Center, to assess both interest and fitness in serving as board members. In addition, the Center works closely with hospital and continuing care chief executive officers and their governing boards to determine what the institution is seeking in a new board member. After these consultations, an appropriate match is made for the institution’s own interview process. Once a successful appointment is made, the Center provides support to the new trustee as she or he takes on the responsibilities of board membership.
The Center is also working to offer a variety of educational and governance resources and leadership opportunities to support both current and new trustees to increase their effectiveness as board members. These opportunities will include educational forums, trustee orientation, and refresher programs, and will generate awareness of the importance of cultural competency and diversity.
GNYHA is pleased to offer this service to members, which received national attention this past April when Mary Medina, Executive Director of the Center, was named as one of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine for her efforts in diversifying boards of trustees (see Skyline News, April 30, 2007). For more information, contact Ms. Medina at GNYHA.
