Community Health Centers nationwide are governed by patient-majority boards of directors comprised of at least 51% patients who use the services of their local Community Health Center. At Mountain Family today, our Board of Directors is led by patients, more than 65% of whom receive their medical, dental, and/or behavioral healthcare at Mountain Family. Our patient-centered governance model ensures that Mountain Family remains focused on serving the needs of the patients we serve. In essence, it means that Mountain Family Health Centers is owned by the communities we serve.
MFHC’s Board is comprised of talented, service-oriented individuals and patients helping to guide MFHC’s mission across Garfield, Eagle, and Pitkin Counties. This month, we recognize and honor Board member and patient Jon Fox-Rubin, who, after eight years of service, will be stepping down from the Board this coming summer 2022.
Jon Fox-Rubin joined the Mountain Family Health Centers Board of Directors in 2014 and was appointed Chair in 2017. He is a Mountain Family patient and a resident of Eagle County. Jon runs FoxRubin Limited, a consulting business that works on strategy, social justice, & systemic change. Jon recently served as the executive director of Valley Settlement and previously, of the MANAUS. Prior to that he co-founded and led two advanced technology companies: Fiberforge Corporation and Hypercar, Inc., both spin-offs of Rocky Mountain Institute. Jon serves on the board of LaMedichi Savings Club and Mountain Voices Project. He previously served as a town councilor for Basalt, where he spearheaded a resolution welcoming immigrants to the community and co-founded “Misión: Comunidad” a non-profit newspaper dedicated to building bridges between the Anglo and Latino communities. Jon holds an interdisciplinary PhD and a Master of Science Degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology along with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with honors from the University of Colorado. He lives in Basalt, Colorado with his wife Julie and their son.
What do you see as the most important role that Mountain Family plays in our communities?
Mountain Family is the only medical center in our community that provides, physical, dental and behavioral health services at each of our facilities. I believe strongly in Mountain Family’s integrated care model and that its role is to lead our community forward on the future of healthcare and wellness.
Over your tenure as a board member of Mountain Family since 2014, how has the organization evolved?
I have watched Mountain Family nearly double in size in terms of patients served while paying sincere attention to its mission of serving patients regardless of their ability to pay. The organization has also developed the operational resilience to support the most vulnerable among us through the COVID crisis while making strides around diversity, equity, and inclusion among and between its staff, board, and patients.
Mountain Family Health Centers was founded in 1978. In your leadership roles in your career heading nonprofits in the Roaring Fork Valley and more, what advice do you have to share with Mountain Family as we aim to care for generations to come?
I would suggest that embracing change is an important skill that Mountain Family has deployed in the past with with humility, grace & tenacity. I hope that Mountain Family can continue using this skill to navigate the uncertain future with its patients, staff, and community.