Spring Branch Community Health Center

“The board may establish an executive committee, which shall consist of not less than three directors who shall be elected by the board at its annual meeting. The executive committee shall be composed of the chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary, and treasurer. The chief executive officer, chief financial officer and the chief medical officer will serve in an advisory capacity and are not able to vote on any matter submitted to the executive committee. Subject to the direction of the board, the executive committee, if the board so decides, may have the immediate charge, management and control of the activities and affairs of the corporation, and have full power in the intervals between the meeting of the board to do any and all things in relation to the affairs of the corporation and to exercise any and all powers of the board in the management and direction of the affairs of the corporation. The executive committee shall keep a record of its proceedings and report the same to the board at each succeeding meeting of the board. A majority of members of the executive committee shall constitute a quorum.”

“Both the ceo and cfo review all of the information reported on the federal form 990. The final form 990 is distributed to the full board of directors for review and approval prior to filing.”

“Every board member and every employee completes a conflict of interest disclosure annually. Board members that have a potential conflict of interest excuse themselves from participating in discussions pertaining to the conflict and are prohibited from voting on any action items pertaining to the conflict. Members of the executive management team and other employees having a potential conflict of interest are prohibited from the selection, management and/or supervision of the party in question.”

“Ceo compensation is reviewed and determined by a special compensation committee of the board of directors that is chaired by the chair of the board. The committee uses annual salary surveys from the texas association of community health centers as well as compensation information from the form 990 of other houston area fqhcs. The ceo compensation is documented in the minutes of the committee, approved by the board, and is included in the ceo's written employment agreement. The ceo and cfo review annual salary surveys from the texas association of community health centers as well as compensation information from the form 990 of other houston-area fqhcs for comparison purposes to determine the compensation of all other officers. All officers have a written employment agreement that includes compensation information. All employment agreements are filed in each person's individual personnel file in the human resources department. The board of directors approves compensation for all officers and employees as part of the process of approving the organization's annual operating budget. The process described here was last completed in 2024.”

“The governing documents, conflict of interest policy and the financial statements are available to the public upon request.”

“Spring branch community health center (sbchc) reduces area health disparities by creating neighborhood-based health centers to provide comprehensive primary health care services that are culturally competent, linguistically appropriate, and client-driven in locations easily accessible by public transportation. Sbchc aims to decrease health disparities and increase the number of healthy individuals and healthy families in the communities it serves. Sbchc is an important component of the primary care safety-net in houston and harris county where approximately 1.17 million people (23.8% of residents) are uninsured and/or medically underserved. Sbchc's vision is to champion community wellness by providing integrated health services to all. Sbchc's commitment to quality of care remains one of its top priorities, providing comprehensive services across all its specialties. Sbchc aims to shift the dynamic of care towards being patient centered and becoming a preferred medical home for the community. Sbchc celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024, having been formed in july 2003 and began seeing uninsured and underinsured patients in may 2004, specifically, the medically underserved population in the spring branch area of houston. Sbchc was designated as a federally qualified health center in 2005. In december 2012, sbchc became one of only 10% of the fqhcs in the united states with joint commission accreditation and primary care medical home certification. Sbchc earned the joint commission's gold seal of approval by demonstrating compliance with the joint commission's national standards for health care quality and safety. During 2024, sbchc received joint commission accreditation in four areas: behavioral health home, behavioral healthcare and human services, primary care medical home and ambulatory healthcare. A primary care medical home must be patient-centered, provide comprehensive and coordinated care, and utilize a systems-based approach to quality and safety. To increase access to health care to those most in need, sbchc expanded to west houston in 2013, to katy in 2016, and to cypress in 2017. Sbchc also added an additional location in spring branch in 2017, inside the mabee wholelife service center, a multi-purpose facility that is a collaborative of several area non-profit organizations. Sbchc added rapid rehousing and homeless prevention services for individuals experiencing homelessness in late 2020. Throughout the covid-19 pandemic, sbchc remained open to provide services both in-person and virtually and offered covid-19 testing and vaccinations to the community. In january 2022, sbchc expanded to northwest harris county by opening a pediatric clinic within the northwest assistance ministries facility. In march 2022, sbchc opened a women's health clinic in the memorial area of houston. Sbchc has grown from one to eight clinic locations and has a mobile clinic to further its reach and increase access in underserved areas. Sbchc is the primary fqhc in the spring branch, west houston and northwest houston service area providing comprehensive medical, dental, and mental health services at a discount to the underinsured and uninsured populations. Assistance for patients with additional social services such as application assistance for medicaid, chip, healthcare marketplace, snap, and wic, is available at all clinic locations. Referral specialists/patient care coordinators assist patients with referrals to specialty services, and coordination of medical care. The majority of sbchc staff are bilingual in order to create a welcoming and accommodating clinic environment. Sbchc sets itself apart from other organizations in its approach to support the whole wellbeing of its patients that extends beyond their medical needs. The patients that sbchc treats have financial, educational, housing, mental health, and other needs. Through sbchc's relationships with other organizations, it has been able to build strong collaborations and par”

“The process for oversight and selection of an independent accountant has not changed from the prior year.”