Representatives of CHA-member organizations will vote next month on a bylaws amendment that will allow existing CHA members that have changed or may change their corporate structures to remain eligible for CHA membership for three years while a study of membership criteria continues.
At its April 19-20 meeting, CHA's board of trustees voted to accept its governance committee's recommendation, sending the matter for a vote at the annual membership meeting during the Catholic Health Assembly, June 3-5 in Philadelphia.
In June 2011, the membership approved a temporary bylaws amendment so representative and system participant members
that had changed or might change to for-profit status could remain CHA members for fiscal year 2012 while a discernment process determined whether changing the membership criteria to include some or all of the new structures would be in the best interest of CHA and the health ministry.
Since last June, a special membership task force has been studying the issue. The task force's discernment has included extensive engagement of individuals across the ministry in discussions about possible changes to membership criteria. Lisa Gilden, CHA's vice president and general counsel who staffs the task force, said that based on the feedback from these discussions, as well as questions raised by task force members, members of the governance committee and the CHA board, it became clear that more time is needed for the study.
"In the time that the task force has been considering this issue, the models for Catholic health care have continued to evolve," Gilden said. "Given this, the board is committed to a very thoughtful, inclusive study of all the dimensions of this issue, and they recognized that more time is needed."
CHA will host a webinar at 2 p.m. ET, May 24, to explain the bylaws amendment. The webinar is free and open to anyone in a CHA-member organization. To register, visit chausa.org.
Proposed bylaws amendment establishing interim membership criteria
The association will continue the period for discerning whether to make changes to its membership categories and criteria until June 30, 2015. If changes to the membership categories and criteria are to be recommended, such will be submitted to the membership assembly by no later than June 30, 2015.
In the interim, if an organization that is a representative member or system participant member as of June 30, 2012, makes (or already has made) changes to its structure that would cause it to be ineligible to qualify as a representative member or system participant member, such organization (or its successor, if any) will remain eligible for membership until June 30, 2015, as long as it (1) meets the requirements of Article IV, Section 3A (1), (2) and (3) or Article IV, Section 3B (1), (2) and (3); and (2) agrees in writing to participate as requested by the association in the discernment process regarding the potential impact on the association and the Catholic health ministry of expanding membership to include new structures.
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