Northport Establishes Health Care Subcommittee To Focus On DCH Board

NORTHPORT, AL — The Northport City Council on Thursday unanimously approved the creation of a new council subcommittee that will focus on health care issues including working with DCH Health System.

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The measure passed during Thursday's meeting, with the Council expressing a desire for the subcommittee to focus on details relating to the DCH Board of Directors. The decision comes amid calls from Northport City Hall for increased input and transparency on the DCH Board, in addition to the contentious appointment of David Albright to represent the city on the board.

"The subcommittee for [the Administration Committee] is a health care committee that we have been very active with the DCH changes," said District 3 Councilman John Hinton, who chairs the committee. "[Albright] has requested some additional help with a committee to support him and work with him, and they in turn will report to us, advise us and keep us informed about what's going on. It's basically an advisory board that will receive feedback from us."

Indeed, as Patch previously reported, Albright was blunt when airing his frustrations to the City Council after being asked to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before having a full membership on the board and access to privileged information protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The nine-member DCH Board is made up of two members appointed by the Tuscaloosa City Council, two by the Tuscaloosa County Commission, one by the Northport City Council, two by the medical staffs of DCH Regional Medical Center and Northport Medical Center and two by the board.

ALSO READ: 5 Questions With DCH Health System CEO Katrina Keefer.

Once established, the subcommittee will report directly to the Council's Administration Committee and consist of the following individuals:

• David Albright — Northport's appointee on the DCH Board and a tenured professor in the University of Alabama's School of Social Work.
• Janet Teer — adjunct instructor in the University of Alabama's Hospitality Management Program. She also previously served as general counsel for DCH Health System.
• Dr. Stephen Browne — doctor of internal medicine at DCH Regional Medical Center and a graduate of the Tulane University School of Medicine.

A chair of the subcommittee will also be chosen from the three appointees, whose terms will run concurrent with the City Council and expire in 2025.

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