The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Tomorrow, November 30th, is the big day! At 5:30 pm, the BSMC Board of Directors, the CEO, and the community with gather at the Senior Center for the 59th Annual Meeting. This meeting is a bit different than the regular monthly Board Meetings. Most organizations hold Annual Meetings, some out of transparency, some due to state requirement. At the Annual Meeting, elections take place, financial audits are reviewed, and the happenings in the business as well as the upcoming goals are discussed. On the BSMC Annual Meeting Agenda are the following items: CEO Report, Presentation of the Annual Financial Audit, By-Laws Committee and the Nominating Committee Report, Appointments to each committee for the next year, the election of one Board Member for a 3-year seat, and Public Comment. Coffee and snacks will be provided during the meeting for those who attend.

Financial Audits have a bit of a negative reputation, but do offer value for any organization. Ron Wiens, the current CEO at BSMC worked as a Chief Financial Officer before coming to Big Sand, he explains the process, “The Board, as part of its fiduciary duty, annually engages an independent CPA firm to conduct an audit of the hospital’s fiscal year financial statements. This review will help determine if they are accurate, complete and in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles. The CPA firm provides an opinion on the hospital financial statements to the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting of Big Sandy Medical Center. An unqualified (clean) opinion indicates the hospital’s financial statements are fairly stated as presented. Big Sandy Medical Center has continuously earned an unqualified opinion.”

In the CEO Report, Ron will give an overview of the last fiscal year’s accomplishments and take a look forward at the goals for the upcoming year. The By-Laws Committee would discuss any changes being recommended to the By-Laws, there will be none at the meeting this year. The nominating committee will present the three candidates for the election. From there, in-person ballots will be dispersed to those in attendance who meet the voting eligibility requirements. Voting will take place and ballots will be returned to the Secretary (Anna Bold). After all votes are collected, the In-Person Ballots and Absentee Ballots will be tallied and then shared with those in attendance.

After the announcement of the newest Board Member, public comment is opened. This is an opportunity for community members to voice their thoughts, concerns, and praises of Big Sandy Medical Center. Comments are welcome during this time, however it is not common practice for a Board to act on comments made during this Annual Meeting. They are recorded in the minutes, and if they need further follow up, will be addressed as an agenda item at a later date. This is a great opportunity to welcome a new Board Member, respectfully bring any concerns to attention, and offer support for the Board of Directors as they embark on another year of working to keep this community built facility, community owned.

A final reminder, you can get an Absentee Ballot at the BSMC Clinic if you cannot attend the meeting to vote. All Absentee Ballots must be returned by 4:00 pm on November 30th to be counted in the vote during the Annual Meeting. We hope to see you there.