The Trustee Certification Program enables hospitals to utilize governance best practices, promote the coordination of care and the best use of resources, and demonstrate to their communities, physicians, employees, businesses and other stakeholders that they:
 

• Understand and embrace the need for governance accountability;
• Govern according to a standard of excellence;
• Are willing to formally certify their adherence to governance best practices;
• Are committed to care management and coordination of resources;
• Embrace community accountability and transparency;
• Structure their community benefit and outreach programs to meet identified community needs;
• Utilize data from the GHA State of Health Data Report to identify and address areas of need especially for the uninsured and underinsured;
• Utilize performance data to identify opportunities for improvement and to monitor progress to improve quality and safety; and
• Integrate local health efforts with state programs.

Please note that the Trustee Certification Program was developed prior to the establishment of the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) and is not approved by GHRIC to satisfy training requirements for rural hospital leaders in accordance with O.C.G.A. § 31-2-16. Instead, GHA has partnered with Georgia Southern University Jiann Ping-Hsu College of Public Health Practice and Research to provide rural hospital board and executive education to meet the GHRIC Curriculum Standards. Learn more about the GHA & Georgia Southern Board Education Program.

Trustees completing the requirements for the GHA Trustee Certification for the first time must complete 8 hours of continuing board education (CBE). Trustees must complete 8 hours of CBE every two years thereafter to maintain certification.

Regular updates provided at hospital board meetings do not constitute continuing board education.  If an educational component is included in a regularly scheduled board meeting, the time spent in the educational component will count toward CBE. 

Trustees of hospitals participating in the GHA and Georgia Southern Hospital Leadership Training Program will be considered as Certified upon completion of the course curriculum.