Board of Nursing Home Administrators (BNHA)

The mandate of the Board of Nursing Home Administrators (BNHA) is to protect the public's health and safety by regulating the competency and quality of nursing home administrators under its jurisdiction. The board accomplishes this goal through a variety of activities working with the Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance division.

Become a board, commission or committee member.

Board Information

Description

Board duties include:

Establishing qualifications for minimal competency to grant or deny licensure of nursing home administrators.
Regulating the competency and quality of professional health care providers under its jurisdiction by establishing, monitoring and enforcing qualifications for licensure.
Establishing and monitoring compliance with continuing education requirements.
Ensuring consistent standards of practice.
Assessing and making recommendations related to complaints against nursing home administrators including recommendations relating to investigate or take disciplinary action.
Serving as reviewing members on disciplinary cases and serve on disciplinary hearing panels.
Serving as members of standing committees, as needed.
Developing rules, policies and procedures relating to regulation of the profession.

Qualifications

The Board of Nursing Home Administrators consists of six administrators who have been in active practice in this state for at least four years prior to appointment. The board membership also includes three representatives of the health care professions providing medical or nursing services in nursing homes or people employed by educational institutions who have special knowledge or expertise in the field of healthcare administration, healthcare education or long-term care or both.

Two public members must be a resident of a nursing home or a family member of a resident or a person eligible for Medicare.

All members must be residents of Washington State. No member who is a non-administrator representative shall have any direct or family financial interest in a nursing home.

Board participation expectation guidelines

The following expectation guidelines are intended to serve as a reference for current members and for prospective appointees of the board:

The board meets for one day four times per year. Meetings are generally scheduled in January, April, July, and October. There is an annual Department of Health one-day Board, Commission, and Committee conference.
Board members are assigned to case disposition panels that meets via phone every two weeks. Only three to four board members are assigned to attend each meeting. In addition, board members who are nursing home administrators are assigned to review individual cases for presentation at case disposition panels.
Board members may be appointed to sub-committees based on their individual expertise.
Board members may also attend a three-day professional conference sponsored by the National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB).
Board members may be scheduled to conduct a site visit to interview an administrator-in-training (AIT) and their preceptor.
New board members will be scheduled to attend an orientation.

Total annual time commitment

Meetings/conferences: Four to six days per year
Meeting preparation: Two to four hours per meeting
Complaint file review: 1.5 hours per complaint assigned for review and presentation
Hearing panels: Disciplinary hearings can last an average of one to three days, but are rare.

Performance guidelines for newly appointed board members

Attend an initial orientation presented by Department of Health staff. This is about a day in length. Initial orientation outlines legal authority of the board, the roles and responsibilities of members, ethics, confidentiality, the legal liability of members and the Department of Health, the organizational structure of the department, roles and responsibilities of department staff, roles and responsibilities of staff attorneys and Assistant Attorneys General (AAGs), disciplinary processes, rule making and other issues.

Become a board, commission or committee member.

Board Members

Name and term expiration date of members

Members	Term Expires
Rosalie Romano, PhD, chair Public member	May 28, 2029
Nancy Butner, NHA, vice-chair Nursing home administrator	May 28, 2028
Matthew Macklin, NHA Nursing home administrator	May 28, 2026
Paul Emmans, DO Healthcare professional	May 28, 2026
Jane Davis, NHA Nursing home administrator	May 28, 2027
Edward Ebling, NHA Nursing home administrator	May 28, 2027
Catherine Reis-El Bara, NHA Nursing home administrator	May 28, 2029
Adam Filbey, NHA Nursing home administrator	May 28, 2029
Teresa Riley, home care aide Healthcare member	May 28, 2028
Jessica Wolfrum, RN Healthcare member	May 28, 2028

Board Meetings

Regular board meetings are scheduled four times per year. Most meetings are held in Tumwater.

(All meetings start at 9 a.m. unless noted and are subject to change)

Date and Location	Activity	Documents
January 24, 2025 Hybrid meeting	Regular business meeting
April 11, 2025 Hybrid meeting	Regular business meeting
July 25, 2025 Hybrid meeting	Regular business meeting
October 24, 2025 Hybrid meeting	Regular business meeting

Meeting Minutes