Local Motion - Memorial Hospital of South Bend

Leading
theWay,
Protecting
OurFuture
The Board of Directors at Memorial Hospital
e have an unbelievably
“Wtalented Board of Directors
here at Memorial,” said Philip A.
Newbold, President and CEO,
Memorial Hospital & Health System.
“They are wonderful people and we
are very lucky to have them.” As the
people who direct Memorial’s growth,
strategic direction, governance
and financial future, the Board of
Directors faces the challenging
world of finance, ethics, politics and
philanthropy, while remaining firmly
committed to the people and places
that make our community such a
great place to work and live.
“The role of a board member is,
in effect, to represent the voice of
our community,” said Reg Wagle,
Vice President, Memorial Health
Foundation. “As a community-owned
health care organization, Memorial
truly exists by and for the people it
has the privilege to care for.”
Memorial’s board, comprised of
people from throughout the community
– and from a variety of diverse
backgrounds – understands the unique
nuances and challenges that exist in
north central Indiana and southwest
Michigan. As community members
themselves, board members truly live
out Memorial’s mission and vision
and strive daily to make Memorial the
community’s first choice for quality
clinical care and world-class service.
“That is a uniquely meaningful
aspect of our board: They’re making
decisions about the direction of our
hospital and our community from
right here in our community,” added
Newbold. This fact helps distinguish
Memorial from other area health care
organizations, whose governances
neither live nor work in the South
Bend area.
Aside from appointing medical staff
and administrative positions within
the hospital and health system, board
responsibilities include: the stewardship
and approval of all capital
spending, including building and
construction concepts and financing;
the implementation of quality policies
and indicators; the approval of
budgets; and the adoptions of highprofile
ventures such as HealthWorks!
Kids’ Museum, Memorial’s innovation
policy, and the tithing program, which
designates 10 percent of Memorial’s
excess annual revenue (over and
above the hospital’s charity care
and prevention-focused activities)
for investments in innovative health
initiatives.
“Another aspect of why our board is
so diverse, so talented and so engaged
in our organization is that Memorial
www.qualityoflife.org ❚ 3