Selecting consumers for neighborhood health center boards

During the winter of 1978, a study of board members of 13 neighborhood health centers was conducted in which consumers were found to have parity of influence with non-consumers. Organized group sponsorship and backing of consumers, rather than their election or appointment, were partially responsible for this parity. Despite literature reports that organized group backing would increase the chances of "vested interest" conflicts on the board, consumers who were affiliated with organized groups were not found to be more competitive than those who were not thus affiliated. In contrast, nonconsumers with organized group backing did have a tendency to feel competitive on their boards.