A Letter to our Community

We are very pleased to report that the Board of Directors of North Mississippi Health Services, parent corporation of North Mississippi Medical Center, recently adopted a new governance structure designed to be more transparent, open and responsive to the communities in which we serve. Structural change discussions started in May 2005 in response to community feedback concerning our Board structure.

We engaged Michael Peregrine of McDermott, Will and Emery in Chicago, Ill., who is one of the nation’s foremost experts in Board structure and governance issues. Mr. Peregrine met with a Board task force charged with evaluating and recommending changes to the Board structure based on contemporary Board structures, national trends, and best practices. That task force made recommendations to the Board Nominating and Governance Committee which in turn made recommendations to the full Board. The Board approved these recommendations at its October 18, 2005 meeting.

The result is a Board structure which reflects national best practices, local community feedback and national trends. In summary, this new structure empowers the local Boards of our community hospitals, creates more Board positions at the local level, eliminates internal Boards and involves a broader representation of community leaders throughout our service area. The result is a more transparent, open and accessible Board structure.

Below you will find a chart depicting this structure: 

We are excited about transitioning to this new structure and are looking forward to the effects it will have on our organization.

November 23, 2005