Question: Can an individual who doesn’t live or work in a health center’s service area be elected to its Board of Directors?
The simple answer is Yes, but only under certain circumstances.
Under the HRSA Health Center Program requirements, there is no absolute requirement that every board member must live or work within the health center’s service area. However, HRSA requires that the board, taken as a whole, meet specific representation standards. In accordance with the HRSA Site Visit Protocol, specifically Chapter 18-Board Composition Element, C, question #10, the center assesses whether non-patient board members reside or work within the community where the health center operates.
Key board composition requirements include:
- At least 51% of the governing board must be patients of the health center who have received an in-scope service within the previous 24 months.
- Patient board members, as a group, must represent the population served by the health center.
- Non-patient board members must be representative of the community served by the health center or the health center’s service area, and should provide needed expertise (e.g., finance, legal, government, business, social services).
- Owns a business serving the community,
- Has longstanding civic or philanthropic involvement,
- Serves on local community organizations,
- Has significant professional responsibilities affecting the community, or
- Otherwise has a well-documented connection and understanding of the community’s needs.
If the individual neither lives nor works in the service area, they may still be eligible to serve if the health center can demonstrate a meaningful connection to the community. Examples might include someone who:
Please note, however, that if the person does not live or work in the service area and has no demonstrable connection to the community, electing that individual would likely not meet HRSA’s board composition requirements and could be cited during an Operational Site Visit. For further inquiries, health centers are encouraged to reach out through the BPCH ‘contact us’ form or contact their BPHC project officer directly.