Furthering Population Health Demands Diverse Governance.

Demands Diverse Governance A board that guides the strategic direction of a health care system must have a keen sense of its business environment — the blend of market forces, financial realities and significant influences affecting every move the board makes. In the past, there had to be financial, legal and clinical acumen to guide decisions. That’s not enough today, as providers reorient priorities toward population-level health. From allocating capital funds to improving community health status, the diverse makeup of the service area has to be factored into decisions, and trustees steeped in the unique factors of that diversity are essential, says Kelvin Westbrook, who chairs the board of BJC Healthcare, St. Louis. “The creativity that comes from having a diverse board — and it doesn’t necessarily embody itself in one particular race or another — the probing, the asking of questions, particularly when it comes to health care challenges, I think it’s that mix of perspectives that can provide some greater insight into how we might approach these challenges in a different way.” Without attention to a diverse board, “what you get is a group-think,” says Deanna Banks, principal of Furst Group, a health care executive search and consulting firm. “You’ve got similar-minded people from a singular exposure making decisions on behalf of things for which they lack insight and understanding — and sometimes empathy.” Health care “is not one-size-fits-all,” says Westbrook, appointed last year as the first African-American chair of BJC’s board. “Often you’ll find even in a place with very outstanding health care institutions and individuals, there are pockets of the community that don’t have as much access; they are not 3 OF 3 | THE CHANGE AGENTS: Leading During An Era of Transformation