Information Package For Prospective Members Of The Board Of Directors

The North Lambton Community Health Centre (the Centre or NLCHC) is a not-for-profit corporation, providing primary health care, health promotion, and illness prevention services at four sites: Forest, Kettle Point, Sarnia and Watford, in designated service areas in Lambton County (see attached map). The Centre’s funding is primarily provided by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC) through through Ontario Health.

The Centre is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors whose responsibilities are:

• Provision of strategic leadership for the organization, in keeping with its Mission, Vision and Values.
• Policy development, quality improvement, and risk management/accountability.
• Ensuring there is a clear distinction of Board, Committee, and Staff roles, with delegation of operational responsibility to the Executive Director and staff through clear policies and procedures.

The Board remains accountable for all aspects of the Corporation’s activities and receives appropriate, timely information and reports from the Executive Director and/or staff to fulfill the accountability requirement. 

The Board is comprised of 11 members: nine (9) elected from the communities we serve, and two (2) members appointed by the Council of Kettle and Stony Point and/or the Council of Aamjiwnaang First Nations.

Members of the Board of Directors are elected by the membership of the North Lambton Community Health Centre at the Annual General Meeting held in June.

Board members are responsible for decision-making reflecting the needs of the entire Centre. Board members serve a three-year term. The terms of one-third of the members expire each year. Outgoing members are eligible to stand for re-election. A formal orientation session which provides more details on the Board’s roles and responsibilities, the Centre and its programs is held for the new Board Members shortly after they are elected or appointed.

Once elected, or appointed, a Board Member is expected to actively participate in the activities of the Board, particularly the monthly Committee and Board meetings. All Board Members are assigned to one or more standing committees of the Board – Resources or Quality Performance. In addition, there is an Executive Committee that is comprised of the Board Chair, Board Vice Chair, Board Past Chair, the Secretary-Treasurer and the Chairs of the Quality Performance and Resources Committees. The Committees usually meet on a monthly basis. Committee meetings are equally as important as the Board meetings. Please see Attachment 1 for details of the committees.

Materials for discussion are provided in advance to assist the Board members to prepare for each meeting.

In addition, the members of the Board of Directors take part in special projects such as the Strategic Planning Exercise and Accreditation Review, and will have the opportunity to periodically participate in public relations activities at the Centre such as open houses or educational events and social events with the staff and/or volunteers.

The time commitment for these activities should not exceed an average of three meetings per month, although more time will be required when the Board Member takes on a leadership role, such as Board Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, Chair of the Quality Performance or Resources Committee, or when a special project is under way.

Please visit www.nlchc.com for information on our Annual Report, Strategic Plan and Multi-sector Accountability Agreement (MSAA).

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