I need to correct a misstatement in Roy Exum's most recent tome about the Erlanger Health System. The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society has not requested a "guaranteed" seat on the Erlanger Board of Trustees. Last year, the Medical Society urged the legislative delegation to add the Erlanger Chief of Staff to the Board of Trustees and urged the board to undertake a study to consider modernizing the hospital authority act. The society believes the continued active participation of physicians, including serving as voting members of the Board of Trustees, is important for the hospital's future.
Currently, three physicians serve on the board.
The Medical Society played a significant leadership role in the formation of the Erlanger Hospital Authority nearly 40 years ago. Since that time, the Society has nominated a physician for the board, with the recommendation approved by the County Commission. In our call for a study to modernize the hospital system's governance, the society has taken no position about any future role in making board nominations.
Rae Young Bond
Executive Director, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society