2009 Annual Membership Meeting

Dr. Elliott Fisher addresses the 2009 Annual Membership Meeting while CEO and President Scott Armstrong looks on
Dr. Elliott Fisher addresses the membership while Scott Armstrong looks on.

Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009
University of Washington

President and CEO Scott Armstrong gave his report to the membership Group Health Cooperative's 62nd annual membership meeting, with more than 500 members in attendance.

"Group Health is organized around the conviction that we are most likely to succeed when we consistently provide great clinical care and promote better health for our patients. It's why we've invested in so many innovations for better health, like our use of electronic records and even our use of consulting nurses — innovations that we take for granted at Group Health but that most people around the country would envy," Armstrong said. "This is what we mean when we say 'Well Beyond Medicine.'"

Guest speaker Dr. Elliott Fisher, MD, PhD, spoke on "Health Care Reform: Can We Do More Than Rearrange the Deck Chairs?" (see sidebar for link to rebroadcast of Dr. Fisher's presentation on TVW). Dr. Fisher is professor of Medicine and Community and Family Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and director for Population Health and Policy at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Care Policy and Clinical Practice.

Audience members had the opportunity to ask questions of Dr. Fisher and Group Health leaders during a Q&A session.

The 2009 Board of Trustees election results were announced at the end of the meeting. And the cooperative honored outstanding achievements by consumers and staff during the 2009 Governance Recognition Awards segment.

Board of Trustees Election Results

Voters at the 2009 Annual Membership Meeting

The results of the 2009 Board of Trustees elections were announced at the end of the meeting. Members re-elected incumbents Bobbie Berkowitz, Rosemary Daszkiewicz, and ChangMook Sohn and elected Harry Harrison Jr., MD, to his first term. Their terms will begin Jan. 1, 2010, and will end Dec. 31, 2012.

The total number of votes in the Board election was 4,797, counting both mail ballots and ballots cast by voting members before the meeting.

Governance Recognition Awards

The cooperative presented its 2009 Governance Recognition Awards, which honor members and staff for their contributions to the cooperative.

Cooperative Achievement Award — John Monk

John Monk, of Seattle, has served as chair of the Capital Hill Medical Center Council since 2000 and continued serving in that leadership role through the group's consolidation with the Downtown Medical Center Advisory Council. As chair, he secured money from the Group Health Foundation's Aubrey and Henrietta Davis Endowed Fund to pay for a professional video production of the Your Aging Eyes program (see Eye Care Services). And while serving as the vice chair of the assembly of advisory councils, Monk secured an incentive prize and designed and created a display booth for advisory council member recruitment. The project proved successful and resulted in many new members.

Cooperative Spirit Award — Diana Birkett

Diana Birkett is director of Federal Relations and Policy. Since joining Group Health in 2006, Birkett has shown herself to be a superb spokesperson as she works with the U.S. Congress, explaining how proposed legislation could affect Group Health and how the cooperative, medical home, and integrated group practice models promote more effective health care for our members. She has provided clear, concise, and understandable explanations to members and the public about complex iterations of various national health care reform options as they surface. Her enthusiasm and focus on bringing timely explanations to Group Health members are especially valued.