The Missouri Hospital Association has awarded a Governance Excellence certificate to Jan Neale to acknowledge her completion of its new voluntary educational program for hospital board members. Jan Neale was honored Thursday, June 14, at the MHA Leadership Forum in Branson.

“With the continual changes we face in health care, Board members must possess the skills and knowledge to make informed, effective decisions,” said Jana Witt, Cedar County Memorial Hospital C.E.O. “I feel the Governance Excellence Certificate Program is a great opportunity for Board members, and I greatly appreciate Jan’s willingness to give of her own time to participate in the program.”

The Governance Excellence Certificate Program was launched in 2011 to enhance hospital trustees’ skills and provide them with increased knowledge of issues in hospital governance to help them make effective decisions for their organizations.

“Hospitals are complex organizations,” said Herb B. Kuhn, MHA president and CEO. “To add value to decisions about hospital operations and support a hospital’s work in the community, a trustee must have a thorough understanding of a range of responsibilities in governance practices and the integration of the hospital’s mission and values. The Governance Excellence Certificate Program is designed to expand trustees’ knowledge base and provide enhanced decision-making skills.”

To complete the certificate program, trustees were required to attend a day-long session at MHA’s annual convention in November 2011 and complete six of eight independent study modules. The 40 certificate recipients recognized June 14 serve as trustees at 19 Missouri hospitals.

The Missouri Hospital Association is a not-for-profit association in Jefferson City that represents 154 Missouri hospitals. In addition to representation and advocacy on behalf of its membership, the association offers continuing education programs on current health care topics and seeks to educate the public, as well as legislative representatives, about health care issues.