Local Board of Health Training

1. Local Board of Health Training Board Expectations Leadership Role of the BOH President Committees

2. Expectations of Board Members Part 1 – pg. 16 • Regularly attend and actively participate in board of health meetings; • Ensure that time at board of health meetings is set aside for updates on public health problems and what the health department is doing, or needs to do, in regard to such challenges.

3. Expectations of Board Members Part 1 – pg. 16 • Involve other organizations in health department functions and funding efforts, special events and programs to promote and support programs and services. • Advocate for public health by communicating regularly with community leaders, elected officials, and media about perceived needs and possible resources. • Support majority opinions of the board.

4. What Do Board Members Do to Accomplish Their PurposePart 1 – pg. 18 • Understand the meeting process and follow protocol. Be careful not to take too much meeting time for items that could be accomplished before or after the session. • Work cooperatively with your health director. Rely on his/her expertise; do not duplicate his/her efforts. • Learn about every aspect of your health department.

5. What Do Board Members Do to Accomplish Their PurposePart 1 – pg. 18 • Be patient. Your health board or health department cannot solve all public health problems immediately. Enforcement procedures and health status take time to change. Identify priorities and ensure the Director has the appropriate resources to meet them. • Be prepared for meetings! Read all pertinent material prior to the meeting and be informed about issues in order to discuss them responsibly.

6. What Do Board Members Do to Accomplish Their PurposePart 1 – pg. 18 • Be involved at meetings; ask questions, discuss and participate in the decision making process. Speak up in meetings about ideas you do not favor! Silence is often interpreted as consent. • Make decisions that need to be made, even in the midst of adverse public reaction and/or opinions of the governmental body that appointed you.

7. What Board Members do (cont.) Part 1 – pg. 18 • Know the difference between private problems and those which actually have an impact on the public. • Take responsibility when asked and follow through on commitments. • Be a health proponent in your community. Take an active role in planning and zoning issues to stop potential problems before they start.

8. What Board Members do (cont.) Part 1 – pg. 18 • At all times, even in the midst of crisis, the health director, appointed staff, or the board president AND NOT A MEMBER OF THE BOARD, should be the designated liaison with the media. • Department staff have the latest information, and will have the best understanding of technical information that must be relayed to the public. In some circumstances, the board president, after being briefed on the facts by staff, may also be interviewed by the media.

9. What Board Members do (cont.) Part 1 – pg. 18 • Be visionary - know where you, your board and department should be in 2-3 years. Participate in identifying and training new board members who will enable this vision.

10. What Are the Characteristics of Leadership?Part 1 – pg. 18 • Decision Maker - Good leadership is tested exactly at the point where decisions need to be made in a crunch. This is where the leader needs to be sure of their vision and direction and then make clear decisions, even if they will not be popular with everyone. Hold your judgement until you know all the facts. • Delegator - The number one way for a leader to avoid burnout is to learn how to involve others. It not only divides the workload, it also broadens the base of support for the board and the health department.

11. Sense of Direction - The leader should know where the agency is going and should be able to state it clearly. It is easy to lose the vision if the leader does not keep a clear focus and sense of direction. • Sense of Humor - No one likes to work with someone who cannot share a good laugh when it is appropriate. It is especially important for leader to have a sense of humor about themselves. This puts people at ease and ready to work.

12. Informed - A good leader knows the facts. A good leader knows the basics of the health department and is informed about current trends and issues. Know what you are talking about. • Inspirer - This is the intangible but important quality of leadership that gets people moving with vision and purpose. Little is accomplished without enthusiasm. Enthusiasm channeled with the proper vision leads to the best results.

13. Listener - A good leader really hears what another person is saying and responds honestly to it. A good leader also makes sure that everyone else is hearing honestly and clearly what another person is saying. This reduces conflicts and encourages participation by everyone.

14. Mediator - A good leader has the ability to help people with opposing views to see the other person's view and, if possible, come to a good compromise. Sometimes a good compromise is not possible and the leader has to help one side or the other learn to live with defeat. • Organizer - A good leader constantly holds up to the group the need for people, money and the structure that will get the job done. • Trusts the Process - A good leader will trust that the group will, in time, work their way to a good decision and that other people's opinions are valuable. A "one person show" seldom works long, even if the leader is "right" about everything.

15. Role of BOH PresidentPart 1- Page 33 • The president must establish an open, working relationship with the health director; and must maintain sufficient objectivity to serve as the liasion between the health director and the board. It is the responsibility of the President to see that a fair evaluation of the health director is performed on a timely basis.

16. The president must be willing to delegate responsibility. Successful delegation helps all members of the board to be actively involved in the organization and allows for the accomplishment of more tasks. Greater involvement of members allows for greater “ownership” of the organizations goals and accomplishments.

17. Steps to delegating effectively • 1. Defines responsibilities clearly. Describes freedoms and limitations. • 2. Delegate complete segments rather than bites and pieces. • 3. Maximize strengths by choosing the right people for the right job. • 4. Provide adequate feedback. • 5. Set goals and performance standards together.

18. 6. Provide support through sharing knowledge. • 7. Give those with responsibility for implementing a voice. • 8. Reward accomplishments. • 9. Let go! Fully delegate and allow for success and failure.

19. The Use of CommitteesPart 1 – pg. 28 • Committees divide the work and shorten board meetings • Standing committees are relatively permanent with members appointed to carry out specific functions.

20. Committee membership may change, but the committee itself continues to exist • What is the specific purpose of the committee? • What will committee members be expected to do to meet this purpose?

21. Before committees are formed Part 1 – pg. 28 • To whom should the committee report? • What role should the committee's work play in the context of organizational goals? • How will staff support be supplied for this committee?

22. How will committee members be recruited and who will appoint them? • What are the financial needs of the committee? (travel, meals, materials, etc.) • To what extent will the health director or board president be expected to interact with the committee?

23. How Are Committees Formed?Part 1 – pg. 28 • Committee chairperson is usually chosen by the board president. • Committees often include 4-5 people, usually selected by the committee chairperson from the board, appropriate agency staff and non-board community members.

24. Ad hoc or special committees are created as the need arises to carry out a specified task. When the committee has completed its assigned responsibilities and given its report, the committee typically ceases to exist

25. Once They Are Formed, What Do Committees Accomplish? Part 1 – pg. 28 • Committees serve to provide information and to make recommendations to the board, not to do all the work. • Boards should be careful not to re-do a committee's work at the board meeting itself. If committee recommendations are questionable or inadequate, the issue should be sent back to the committee for additional work.

26. Committees • Additionally, committees should work closely with agency staff to ensure that information is the most recent available and resources are accurately assessed.