CSHA Quarterly Board Highlights

and Administrative Assistant, Heather McGuire will
be meeting in August to complete the Hilton San
Francisco Union Square walk through and planning
session. We have a lot of amazing program options to
consider and review. More details will be forthcoming
at the September Board Meeting.
I reported that on April 26th, the California
Association of Health Plans (CAHP) hosted a
conference call with the DMHC (Department of
Managed Health Care) regarding SB 946. CSHA and
ASHA had many representatives on the call, including
myself. It was a unique opportunity to be invited to the
table in order to begin to be part of the discussion and
share input regarding current assessment measures,
identification of specific diagnosis, identification
of criteria for treatment, and discussion of what is
considered medically necessary in the absence of illness
or injury, the independent medical review process, and
transition from non-plan providers.
I have also been working with CSHA advocate,
William Barnaby, to provide comment to the
Administrative Support and Regulation Adoption Unit
of the California Department of Education regarding
the Title 5 Code of Regulations relative to language
supporting eligibility criteria as well as differentiating
the term aide from assistant.
As part of the agenda for this first board meeting
of my presidency, I felt that it was important to begin
a series of trainings for the board. We will be facing
significant change, as Barbra O’Hara, CSHA’s one
constant through the past 30 years, will be retiring in
May. It is imperative that we usher in this transition
through a system that is sustainable and reliable.
Therefore, the board members each took time to review
the Bylaws and Standing Rules of the organization.
Each one of us reviewed our role on the board and
what that meant relative to the flow of information and
how our work is related to members as well as each
other. After some study and discussion, each board
member shared one or two activities that they would
complete before the next board meeting. In doing this,
we affirmed that we are all working to serve the goals
and needs of the organization.
I shared the following as focused goal areas for the
organization:
• Continue to focus on increasing membership
• Continue building leadership capacity for the
future of our organization
CSHA Board Highlights u April 2013
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• Address concerns and timely issues relating to
“encroachment” through building capacity for
teamwork and interagency collaboration
• Board Training; specific and ongoing; referring
to updated bylaws and standing rules
• Update the CSHA website, making it more
serviceable and user friendly.
• Evaluate and update CSHA Strategic Plan
• Put the “H” back in CSHA… (Or amplify it to a
more discernible threshold)
• Hiring, reorganization, and transitioning CSHA
office staff
The CSHA board, in light of our goals, as well
as structured input from the District Directors and
Commissioners, will be working to update and build
a new strategic plan by January of 2014. We will
continue the process of training as an element of each
board meeting.
The CSHA board is a working body. Each
individual on the board serves as either an elected or
appointed volunteer leader. Through our discussion at
this meeting it was clear that our commitment to each
other is to make this work meaningful to the members.
We recognize our responsibility as well as our privilege
to serve. We also acknowledged the vast majority of
CSHA volunteers who are not board members, who,
by their devoted contribution to this organization as
well as the profession, are building capacity through
their leadership. I expressed amazement at the work of
CSHA standing committees, and look forward to their
continued contribution and enlightened conversations.
I had a meeting with the new Editor-in-Chief,
Nicole Godfrey in May, and immediately following our
meeting, she began work to get the summer edition of
the CSHA magazine out. The theme of this magazine is
teamwork, following the lead of ASHA in highlighting
inter-professional education and practice.
Lastly, as part of this report to the members, I
would like to express my sincere gratitude to Heather
McGuire who filled in at this meeting for Barbra
O’Hara at the last minute. Our sympathy and heart
felt concern and care goes out to Barbra as her mother
passed away the day prior to the board meeting. There
was simply no way she would be able to participate
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