The Essential Role of Nurses on Nonprofit Boards: A Case Study of High Point Village

This essay/research paper is based on an observation I did at a local board meeting for a local non-profit Home – High Point Village (here is their website so you can look at it and use it for the paper). After receiving the completed paper, I will add my observations and notes from the meeting. I will briefly explain what we went over so that you can have some background and work it into the paper (feel free to elaborate, and I will edit as necessary). I also have a Q&A with the board member I followed that I will include in here also. This paper is 20% of my total grade for this class (so I REALLY need a good grade!!)
I have also included the grading rubric, so you know how I will have to add my observations to the research part. Please include at least 2 additional resources (ONLY peer-reviewed nursing journal articles no older than 2018) in addition to any of the resources below (I would like at least 6 resources, but more is welcome). I don’t see how I can make an 8-10 page paper from my observation from sitting in on a board meeting for 2 hours, so I want it to be more research based on why nurses should be on boards with my observations added in.

Module 4 Web Links
Nurses on Boards CoalitionLinks to an external site.
https://www.nursesonboardscoalition.org/resources/for-nurses/Links to an external site.
Why nurses should serve on community health boardsLinks to an external site.
Hospital impact: In uncertain times, healthcare boards have even more reason to embrace nurse leadersLinks to an external site.
The University of Kansas online Community Toolbox @ http://ctb.ku.edu/enLinks to an external site.
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/advocacy-principles/advocacy-plan/mainLinks to an external site.
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/advocacy-principles/recognize-allies/mainLinks to an external site.
Transforming LeadershipLinks to an external site.
Collaborating and Leading in Care Delivery and RedesignLinks to an external site.
NLN Toolkit for Public Policy ChangeLinks to an external site.

Module 4 Textbook Readings (pictures of textbook included so you can use the correct ones)
The New Leadership Challenge: Creating the Future of Nursing. Chapters, 9,10,11
Policy and Politics 8th Edition
Unit 4 – Policy and Politics in Health Care Organizations, pg. 392
Taking Your Place at the Table: Board Appointments and Service, pg. 400
Taking Action: Nurse Leaders in the Boardroom, pg. 407
Unit 5- Policy Issues in Nursing Associations, pg. 523
Coalitions: A Powerful Political Strategy, pg. 543
Taking Action: Campaign for Action, pg. 550
Unit 6 – Where Policy Hits the Pavement: Contemporary Issues in Communities, Pg. 562
An Introduction to Community Activism, pg. 571
Creating a Culture of Health and Working with Communities, pg. 589
Think Globally, Act Locally: Nursing and Global Health, pg. 617

Grading Rubric

Q&A with voting board member Paula Mustin

1. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your work background?
   I am a farm girl from IL (that has lived in Indiana, Nashville, TN, and Austin, TX,) and moved to Lubbock when I met and married my husband. West Texas is very similar to where I grew up … rural area, farming community, salt-of-the-earth people. I’ve been in marketing and sales for over 20 years, spending the majority of time in pharmaceuticals in a variety of sales, training, and management roles. I have been calling on providers in West Texas since we moved to Lubbock in 2008. Jeff and I have been married since 2007 and have two boys: JP, 12, and Jacob, 10.
2. What is your current role on the board at High Point Village?
   I have been a board member at High Point Village (HPV) since summer of 2022.
3. What prompted you to be on the Board of High Point Village?
   Our oldest has some special needs and I have a special place in my heart for those with disabilities. I had a good friend that introduced me to HPV. Once I learned more about HPV and met some of the Villagers, our family became regular volunteers and began to support HPV financially. After becoming involved at HPV, I was asked to join the board after another member resigned.
4. What are your current responsibilities as a board member?
   I am a voting member on the HPV board.
5. Do you think having a nurse serve on the board would be beneficial for High Point Village? Why or why not?
   Yes! We try to have a variety of folks with different work backgrounds and skill sets on the board because of the perspective and talents they bring.
6. What are some goals you may have in mind for the board for High Point Village?
   We’ve recently had some turnover and change on the board (as well as the staff). HPV is also in the planning process of moving to residential. As a board, one goal is to adapt and plan for the future, while adjusting to all the changes.
7. What do you enjoy most about serving on this board?
   Serving a vulnerable population and being a part of an organization that provides a place for individuals with special needs to learn, live, work, and worship … a place for them to belong and have community.
8. As a leader, what traits do you find valuable?
   So many … Trustworthiness, humility, integrity, flexibility, and enthusiasm come to mind,
9. What are some challenges you have faced in the leadership role and how have you handled them?
   I am one of the newest members of the board. At first I was hesitant to speak up or share thoughts because I wanted to make sure I learned more about HPV from a board member’s perspective before becoming too vocal. But, I was also encouraged to share my thoughts because a new board member can share a fresh perspective.

Board meeting information/agenda and brief observation
HPV = High Point Village
All participants at HPV are called villagers, not students or patients – as all the villagers have a mental disability of some capacity. Some are very high functioning, and some are not. There is a WIDE variety of disabilities there.
The board meeting started at 5:30 pm. I was warmly welcomed by everyone that was there. I was nervous, not knowing what to expect or how I could be beneficial (as a nurse) to the board in general. We started the meeting with a prayer from one of the Villagers from High Point. It was very moving to start the meeting off by being able to witness how this community had helped this man to obtain his dream of becoming an ordained minister. After the prayer, the meeting was called to order, and we began. Visitors (there were 3 of us) were introduced to the board members and talked a little about ourselves. Once that was out of the way, an Occupational Therapy PhD student presented his capstone project that High Point Village was so generous to fund for him. He developed adaptive controls for the villagers. Hand eye coordination is very important and playing video games is a great way to socialize and develop social skills as well as occupational skills. This was super informative as I was seeing first hand how medical people could benefit this particular board. Being able to advocate for the needs of the villagers was a great thing to witness. Something I am sure the board members never would have thought of as they do not have medical backgrounds. After watching his presentation and seeing the incredible impact his device had made, we moved on to another topic. This is where we spent most of the meeting.
Shell construction Discussion: currently, HPV has space that has not been finished in their current space. However, they are also growing at a rapid pace (for both staff and villagers). The more villagers they add, the more staff they need. Goes hand in hand. The master plan for HPV is to have a Residential Living Center for Villagers. This has always been the end goal. Getting there has just taken a lot longer than they imagined. In order to achieve residential living (which at this point would require medical staff to be there 24/7 – Nurses, CNAs, NPs/PAs) the director feels the need to expand the shell (finish it out and add to the main building) in order to grow the day program. Once the day program is fully grown, then the residential living can start. This caused an extensive discussion as money was now coming into the discussion. Why do we want to spend all this money on finishing out a building for day programs (which are VERY beneficial to our community) instead of starting our residential build? Residential has always been our top priority, and we (the board) feel like the community doesn’t believe that we will ever have residential. I could easily see both sides of the picture. The need for day programs for older villagers (who have aged out of school) as well as residential living for villagers to be able to live on their own have more independence, as well as have somewhere for those villagers (who are high functioning) to go when they no longer have any family that can care for them. I can understand their concerns about community perception, as they fundraise for their money as well as receive grants. It’s hard for me to take a side and say what comes first. The day program will always be growing, will always need more space. But do we start residential now when we have so many community members in need of day programs? I don’t have that answer. The entire board was very adamant that funds directed towards to the residential living center not be used for anything other than residential. This discussion was unanimously voted on to table until the next meeting.
The remainder of the meeting was going over the recent board member changes as well as financials. At this point, I was dismissed from the meeting as the remainder of the meeting was for executive members only.
When I was leaving the meeting, I could easily see how a nurse could be valuable to this board. The mentally disabled population is a vulnerable population. Many of them have extensive medical conditions. Why wouldn’t a nurse be helpful to this board and help make decisions that benefit this community.