UM Regents Appoint WCHO Board Members

At their April 21, 2011 meeting, the University of Michigan regents took two actions related to the Washtenaw Community Health Organization (WCHO), a partnership between Washtenaw County and the UM Health Systems. The partnership focuses on providing services to children and adults with mental or emotional health disorders, substance abuse problems or developmental disabilities.

Each institution appoints six members to the board. In action taken on Thursday, regents reappointed two members to WCHO’s board of directors, to represent the university: (1) Martha Bloom, vice president of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation; and (2) Jerry Walden, who founded and directed Packard Clinic until his retirement in 2007. Both members will serve terms from April 1, 2011 through March 31, 2014.

Also at the April 21 meeting, regents approved several changes to the WCHO bylaws. The changes include: (1) removing language for the UMHS to provide money for physical health services; (2) providing for the executive committee to act on behalf of the board and for actions to be reported to the full board at its next meeting; and (3) removing Washtenaw County as the fiscal agent for the WCHO. UM’s Hospitals and Health Centers executive board approved these revisions at its March 28, 2011 board meeting. The county board of commissioners approved the bylaws without discussion at its March 2, 2011 meeting.

This brief was filed just after the meeting’s adjournment from the regents boardroom in the Fleming administration building. A more detailed report will follow: [link]