A special membership meeting of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center (LLUAHSC) took place simultaneously in several locations on April 14 to take an historic step moving toward a single governance for the entities on campus.
A total of 182 people were involved in the unanimous decision. A number gathered in the Centennial Complex’s Damazo Amphitheater, where they participated in a video teleconference with others who were attending the annual spring meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, president of Loma Linda University Health, was in Silver Spring for the meeting. He was joined there by Lowell Cooper, chair of the LLUAHSC Board of Trustees, who presided over the meeting. Another 18 members listened to the meeting by phone from various locations.
By LLUAHSC bylaws, individuals invited to participate in the special membership meeting included the General Conference Executive Committee members residing in the North American Division and officers from other world divisions of the church. Loma Linda representatives included board members and corporate officers of the core corporations at Loma Linda as well as physicians from the medical staff, deans from the eight university schools and representatives from the faculty, students, alumni, employees and members of the local community.
The purpose of the constituency meeting was threefold:
• To amend the LLUAHSC bylaws to enlarge the size of the Board of Trustees by making provision for physician and hospital administration representation and facilitate progress toward a single governance system for the organization,
• To authorize the upcoming board meeting in May to fill the added positions, and
• To approve a resolution to amend the Articles of Incorporation to change the name from Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center (LLUAHSC) to Loma Linda University Health.
The action is a first step in unifying the governance of the organization, according to Hart. More work will be done over the next year or so as the enterprise moves toward becoming a unified Loma Linda University Health.