The name of the Association shall be “Alabama Society for Healthcare Engineering”.

Professionals working together to increase knowledge and advocate for codes and standards which improve healthcare facilities’ environment of care.

The general purposes of this Society shall be as follows:

1. To encourage and assist members to develop their knowledge and increase competence in maintaining the environment of care of health care
2. To cooperate with hospitals and allied associations, including the various state societies, in matters pertaining to healthcare engineering.
3. To affiliate with the Alabama Hospital Association for the purpose of conducting an educational conference for healthcare engineers, maintenance personnel, and other health-care
4. To provide a medium for the interchange of ideas and information relative to healthcare engineering and maintenance. The Society is organized exclusively for charitable, scientific and educational purposes as a not-for-profit
5. Provide a forum for discussing possible changes and a means for presenting a united front for regulatory advocacy & to petition the authorities or bodies governing codes and

Section 1. Eligibility

Individuals eligible for membership in the Society shall be actively employed in the field of Healthcare Engineering, Biomedical Electronics, Facilities Compliance, Environmental Services, Construction, Utilities and/or Energy Management, safety and/or security as an employee in a health care facility.

For purposes of AlaSHE Membership, a Healthcare Facility shall be defined as “a building or portion thereof used to provide services or treatment to patients on an out-patient or in-patient basis.

Healthcare occupancies include the following:

(1) Hospitals

(2) Limited care facilities

(3) Nursing Homes

(4) Outpatient Facilities

(5) Ambulatory Treatment Facilities

Occupants of healthcare facilities typically have physical or mental illness, disease or infirmity. This occupancy also includes infants, convalescents and/ or infirmed aged persons.

Non- voting individual memberships are available for those persons interested in the objectives of the Society, but not eligible for Active membership (see Membership Classification). Membership in the Society shall become effective upon submission of a completed application form, approval by the Board of Directors of the Society and receipt by the secretary of the specified dues. Membership in the Society shall not be restricted by state boundaries.

Section 2. Termination

Membership may be terminated by the Board of Directors of the Society for failure to pay dues or noncompliance with provisions of the By-Laws of the Association.

Section 3. Membership Classification

Individual membership classification shall be as follows:

1. Active Members (Voting)

Active membership in the Society shall be actively employed in the field of Healthcare Engineering, Biomedical Electronics, Facilities Compliance, Environmental Services, Construction, Utilities & Energy Management and/or Healthcare Safety and Security as a regular employee in a health care facility as defined in the Eligibility requirements.

Active members shall receive all Society mailings, may hold office, vote on issues and participate after registration in all Society meetings and any other rights and privileges as adopted by the Board of Directors and the Society.

1. Associate Members (Non-Voting)

Associate membership in the Society shall be available to individuals directly related to healthcare services (for example, member of a Professional Service Organization, a vendor, manufacturer, distributor, etc.). Membership benefits are limited to the receipt of Society publications and participation in the spring and annual meetings on a non-solicitory basis, following standard meeting registration. A non-solicitory basis is defined as being limited to attending educational sessions & meeting functions for educational purposes only. Associate membership shall be limited to not more than four (4 paid memberships) per any one (1) company or Professional Service Organization.  Associate members may not vote or hold office.

1. Honorary Membership

Upon proper notification to the Board of Directors of retirement from the healthcare field and active membership criteria, the member may request Honorary Membership. Honorary Members may serve on committees and on the Board of Directors in an advisory capacity only. Honorary Members may not vote or hold office. Honorary members in good standing will not be required to pay annual membership dues and registration costs for AlaSHE meetings will be waived.

Section 4. Sponsors

Manufacturers, vendors, distributors, and their respective employees may participate at one of four sponsorship levels – Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Exhibitor – with specific benefits at each level as determined by the Board of Directors. Sponsors may not vote or hold office.

Section 5. Certification

Designation as a ‘Certified Healthcare Engineer” with all rights and privileges thereto shall be retained by any active member in good standing, who met the requirements of the Articles of Certification and was accepted by the Alabama Society for Healthcare Engineering Certification Board prior to October 16, 2016 (the date that the program was discontinued by majority vote of the AlaSHE membership). No new Certifications shall be awarded subsequent to October 16, 2016, but all existing certifications valid 10/16/16 shall be permanently maintained.

Section 1. Quorum

Advance notice of at least thirty days must be given for the Spring Conference and the Fall Conference/Annual Business meetings. To establish a quorum, two officers and ten percent of membership must be present. A quorum must be present in order to conduct Society business Special meetings require a ten-day written notification, and not less than two officers and five percent of active membership must be present to establish a quorum. All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 2. Spring Meeting

A spring meeting for the transaction of the affairs of the Society shall be held at a location selected by the President and the Board of Directors. The Secretary of the Society shall send a notice of the spring meeting to members of the Society at least thirty days prior to the meeting.

Board members shall present reports for the membership within their particular areas of responsibility.

Section 3. Annual Fall Conference/Annual Business Meeting

The Fall Conference/Annual Business meeting of the Society will be held at a location selected by the President and the Board of Directors. Notice of this meeting will be sent out thirty days in advance of the date. During this meeting, there will be a business meeting for all members, and election of officers will be held. The new officers will assume their responsibilities immediately after the meeting.

Section 4. Special Meetings

Special meetings may be called by the President, on approval of the Board of Directors, or shall be called by the President upon petition by ten percent (10%) of total membership. An advance notice of ten days must be given.

Section 1. Eligibility

Each elected or appointed officer or director of the Society shall be an active member of the Society meeting all criteria for active membership. Elected officers should be members in good standing of the American Society for Healthcare Engineering whenever possible.

Section 2. Officers and Directors

1. Officers

The officers shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer and the Immediate Past President.

1. Directors

In addition to the officers, there shall be seven (7) elected directors. 

The Board of Directors include:

• Education Chair
• By-Laws Chair
• Membership Chair
• Resolutions Chair
• Codes & Standards Chair
• Media Chair
• ASHE Liaison

Section 3. Election of Officers and Directors

All Officers and Directors shall be elected annually for a one year term. Said term shall commence upon election and shall expire at the adjournment of the next annual meeting, with the exception of the Treasurer. The office of the President is limited to a one year non-consecutive term, except in extraordinary circumstances such as: war, acts of war, global pandemic and other natural disasters or causes which requires the Society to suspend activities to include conferences.  If during one of these extraordinary circumstances, if it would benefit the ongoing operation of the Society, the term of the President can be extended for a one year term at the majority vote of the Officers and Board of Directors.  This would be the only instance in which the office of President would be held by the same person for a two (2) year consecutive terms.   

All Officers and Directors are elected for a one (1) year term.  However, in order to retain consistency, bank approvals and bonding (if required), the Treasurer shall be an elected position for a term of 3 (three) years. Upon term expiration, (thirty-six (36) months after annual meeting at which they were elected), the Nominating Committee shall nominate a candidate for the Treasurer’s position for the following 3 (three) year term. The incumbent Treasurer may be nominated and if elected may serve consecutive terms. All annual auditing, accounting requirements & fiduciary responsibilities shall remain in effect.

Section 4. Duties of Officers

1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society and serve as the chairman of the Board of Directors. He/she is charged with the general management of the chapter & shall be responsible for presenting a written annual report, which shall be kept in the permanent files of the Society; and he/she shall be responsible for seeing that all orders and resolutions from the chapter Board of Directors are put into effect & to perform such other duties as directed by the Board of Directors. He/she may attend a meeting of each active chapter of the Society, having expenses to such meetings paid by the Society. He/she or another elected chapter officer shall attend the annual ASHE conference and Chapter Leadership Forum, with the registration fees (for 1 person) to the Conference and the Leadership Forum paid by the Society. If due to non-financial support from his/her facility, the board is authorized to approve normal travel, lodging and meal expenses (for 1 person) to attend stated Conference and Chapter Leadership Forum, in addition to the aforementioned registration fees. Normal expenses are defined as what would normally be reimbursed by that officer’s facility’s travel policy.

Duties of the President include (but are not limited to):

1. Presiding over all meetings of the general membership & Board of Directors
2. Appointing all committee chairs
3. Acting as liaison to regional and national organizations
4. Ensuring that the Chapter abides by its by-laws in all operations
5. Working in partnership with the Board, scheduling regular Chapter meetings and Board Meetings
6. Insuring that the Annual report is submitted NLT each January 31 and the application for the Chapter Awards Program is prepared and submitted each year with other required submissions

1. President-Elect The President-Elect shall serve in the absence or disability of the President. He/she shall be responsible to serve as the President directs. He/she will assume the office of President at the next annual fall He/she or another elected chapter officer shall attend the annual ASHE conference and Chapter Leadership Forum, with the registration fees (for 1 person) to the Conference and the Leadership Forum paid by the Society. If due to non-financial support from his/her facility, the board is authorized to approve normal travel, lodging and meal expenses (for 1 person) to attend stated Conference and Chapter Leadership Forum, in addition to the aforementioned registration fees. Normal expenses are defined as what would normally be reimbursed by that officer’s facility’s travel policy.

1. Secretary The Secretary shall prepare and distribute the minutes of the Society and is charged with keeping all records of the Chapter (other than financial) as well as mailing lists, which shall be available to the members of the Society, keep an up-to-date membership roster and notify members of all meetings, in accordance with the By-Laws.

Duties of the Secretary include (but are not limited to)

1. Keeping accurate minutes of all Chapter meetings
2. Keeping up to date membership lists and distributing those of the Board and major committees
3. Keeping mailing lists of members in concert with the Membership Committee Chair
4. Producing Chapter letterhead & accurate rosters of officers and committee chairs
5. Preparing and submitting the Chapter Annual report to ASHE NLT January 1 of each year, along with a copy of the chapter’s membership list.

1. Treasurer The Treasurer will receive and disburse Society funds as directed and authorized by the President and Board of Directors. He/she will keep accurate financial records, which must be made available for inspection and audited not less than annually or when requested by the Board of Directors, and to perform such other duties as may be requested by the President and/or Board of With the President’s assistance & guidance, the Treasurer shall insure that all applicable tax forms are properly completed and submitted by the date due with all appropriate fees paid as necessary.

The Treasurer’s duties include (but are not limited to)

1. Collecting all Chapter dues as well as any other funds raised by the Chapter.
2. Establishing Bank accounts and obtaining signature cards for officers with signing authority
3. Keeping an accurate and timely record of all deposits and disbursements
4. Reporting the financial status to the Board of Directors
5. Securing and maintaining federal and local tax ID numbers and filing tax returns when necessary
6. Preparing a balanced budget for the Board to review, approve and follow
7. Advising the Secretary of and delinquent dues payments and dropped members
8. Disbursing accounts payable in a timely manner and invoicing and collecting accounts receivable.

1. Immediate Past President. The Immediate Past President shall serve in an advisory role to the President, Officers and Board of Directors. In the event that both the President and President-Elect are absent or disabled, the immediate Past President shall assume the duties of the President. The Immediate Past Presidents shall chair the Nominating Committee. Assists the President in assembling and submitting the completed application with all supporting documentation by the submission deadline for AlaSHE to be awarded the highest attainable ASHE chapter award for the prior year’s efforts.

Section 5. Duties of the Board of Directors

Serving on the AlaSHE Board of Directors is a high honor that requires commitment and dedication to the assigned duties. Committee Chairs and the Board of Directors are expected to attend regularly scheduled meetings as requested and provide reports in accordance with their assigned duties. Chronic or repeated non-attendance and/or non-reporting my result in removal from the position based on majority vote by the Board.

The Board of Directors shall have authority to make policy decisions for the Society, to prepare the annual budget; to establish rules and procedures for the Board of Directors and for the Society; to approve, modify, or disapprove reports, resolutions or actions of officers or committees of the Society. The outgoing Board of Directors shall perform an audit on the Treasurer’s records at the Annual Fall Meeting.

Section 6. Vacancies

The President shall fill any vacancies by appointment from qualified active, Society membership. Such appointees shall serve until the next annual meeting. In the event the President shall be unable to fulfill tenure of office either by death, resignation, removal, loss of employment qualifications or otherwise; the President-Elect shall succeed to the office of President for the balance of the unexpired term.

The following standing committees shall be appointed by the President, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. Each committee shall be chaired by a member of the Board of Directors.

1. By-Laws Committee

This committee is responsible for reviewing the Association’s bylaws for compliance with the National organization. If Bylaws changes are required or recommended the bylaws committee formulates them and submits them to the Chapters Board for review, discussion and approval prior to submission to membership.

1. Membership Committee

This Committee is charged with the development of new members for the Chapter, promoting retention among existing members & identifying new member services and programs to enhance the value of membership.

1. Education Committee

The duties of this Committee shall be to plan and arrange all educational meetings, programs, or projects of the Society, subject to approval by the Board of Directors. The Committee is responsible for developing, promoting, conducting and monitoring the educational/training efforts of the Chapter.

1. Resolutions Committee

The duties of this Committee shall be to prepare appropriate resolutions of the Society, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors and the membership. Solicits nominations for the AlaSHE Professional of the Year award and along with the resolutions committee makes recipient recommendations to the Board of Directors. The Committee continually reviews awards programs for currency and suggests new ways to increase member recognition.

1. Advocacy/Codes and Standards Committee

The duties of this committee shall be to provide an on-going review of all codes and standards relative to the Healthcare environment keeping members of the Chapter apprised of pending code changes. This Committee also is a strong leader for Code advocacy on behalf of the Chapter, providing regular updates of any changes to the board of Directors and the general membership & is responsible for communicating and advocating on issues specific to the state or local level as well as providing feedback to ASHE on various national codes and standards issues affecting the profession.

1. Media Committee:

Media Committee: The duties of this Committee shall be to photograph events of the society for historical preservation, aide with AlaSHE’s webpage, and assist with hand-outs and promotional literature as requested by the Officers and/or Board of Directors. This Committee seeks to create attention for and awareness of the Chapter, its members and the profession they represent.

1. ASHE Liaison:

The ASHE Liaison shall be both an Active or Lifetime/Honorary member of AlaSHE and ASHE keeping abreast of developments and initiatives brought forth by ASHE to the state societies, including membership, regulatory, advocacy, best practices and energy initiatives. The ASHE Liaison shall present this information to the membership at the Spring and Fall meetings as well as be an available source of information & advocacy to AlaSHE membership on matters involving ASHE. The ASHE Liaison will be the on-going contact within the Chapter for ASHE and receive copies of all communications ASHE send to the Chapter.

Section 2. Nominating Committee

The nominating committee shall submit a slate of suggested nominees for the open offices and open positions for directors of the Association. The nominating committee shall be composed of the last three immediate past presidents, with the most senior of the past presidents serving as chairman. The nominations will be for the following offices: President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer (at 3 year intervals) and seven Board of Director members. In the event that the three most immediate past presidents are not available to serve, appointment from the slate of available, active Past Presidents shall be made by the Board of Directors

Section 3. Special Committees

The President is authorized to appoint special committees & ad hoc Board Members as he/she may deem appropriate and to appoint the members thereof.

The terms of office for members of special committees shall be for twelve months, coinciding with the Annual Fall Business meeting unless otherwise specified by the President and must be approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 1. Alabama Society for Healthcare Engineering Membership 

This Society encourages its individual members to maintain membership in the American Society for Healthcare Engineering of the American Hospital Association.

Section 2. Dues

Active members shall pay annual dues to the Treasurer of the Society in accordance with the following terms:

1. Dues statements shall be sent to all members (active & associate)
2. Dues are payable at the beginning of the Society calendar year which shall begin January 1.
3. Dues shall be set by Board of Directors. Active Membership dues shall be limited to an annual    increase not to exceed $5.00 per year. Any further increase will necessitate a vote of the majority    of the membership present. (See Article VIII: Amendments)

Section 3. Membership Dues

Membership dues are not transferable from one person to another, nor may dues be prorated or refunded. Persons applying for membership shall pay the annual dues when submitting their membership application.

Section 4. Default in Payment of Dues

Members failing to pay annual membership dues in accordance with the dues statement will be considered delinquent and membership will be subject to suspension or termination by the Board of Directors as recommended by the Membership Committee Chairperson

These By-Laws may be altered, amended or repealed by a two-thirds majority vote of an established quorum of this association at any regular meeting or any special meeting duly convened after notice to the members for that purpose. Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to membership thirty days prior to voting. Proxy votes must be signed by the member submitting the proxy vote form and shall be accepted upon receipt by the secretary by the time of said meeting.