AHA reports on governance practices of effective community health partnerships

Hospitals and health systems partnering with others to improve community health are likely to embrace a collaborative governance model, according to a study released today by a Blue Ribbon Panel of the AHA’s Center for Healthcare Governance. The study explores how eight recipients of the Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service are addressing community health needs and ensuring sustainable partnership governance. Key themes include the need for multi-sector collaboration to achieve the collective impact essential for community health improvement; the role of hospitals and health systems as anchor organizations that provide partnership support; use of the Community Health Needs Assessment as a foundational resource for partnership work; differences between institutional and partnership governance and the need for principle-focused, competency-based governance structure and practices. The report includes recommendations to help hospitals, health systems and their partners develop and assess their readiness for collaborative governance.