Charter Member Agreement

 

PURPOSE

The purpose of MECH is to provide a comprehensive mechanism to:

 

The purpose of the Charter is to make the MECH program available on a National basis by establishing Charter Organizations within each State that will actively be involved in certification of the Healthcare Mechanics within each organization’s jurisdiction.

 

DEFINITIONS

 

Charter Member Organization (CMO):  A not-for-profit State Healthcare Engineering Society, a Chapter Healthcare Engineering Society or other Healthcare Association/Organization within a state that is recognized by the MECH Certification Committee.

 

Special Pricing:  Special pricing for MECH materials is offered to the CMO.  Please refer to the “Fees and Pricing Schedule”.

 

Healthcare Facility:  Hospital, Nursing Home, Home for the Aged, Hospice, or any other type of facility involved in the treatment, care or housing of patients.  All State Engineering Societies are encouraged to welcome membership from all types of healthcare facilities.

 

MECH member:  A Healthcare Mechanic or Healthcare Facilities Manager from an institution located within the geographic jurisdiction of a recognized CMO.  A CMO may include membership in its own association as a part of membership requirements.

 

MECH Non-Member:  A Healthcare Mechanic or Healthcare Facilities Manager from an        institution located in a geographic area or State where there is no CMO.

 

On-Site Certification:  A program developed to provide applicant(s) access to MECH certification and testing.  This program features the identification of a MECH Proctor (Test Administrator) within a participating healthcare institution who is endorsed by the institutions administrator through an affidavit process.

 

Promotional Materials:  A compilation of form letters, generic brochures and associated sales literature intended to make the process of marketing as easy as possible for the CMO.

 

Regional Test Administrator:  An individual recognized by the CMO as qualified to administer the Certified Healthcare Mechanic and Senior Certified Healthcare Mechanic Tests. (This designation is necessary only if the association conducts regional testing. Most associations use the On Site Certification process.)

 

Scholarship Program:  A national scholarship trust fund established through proceeds of the MECH program.  Interested individuals within a Chartered Region will be eligible for national scholarship competition.  Scholarships will be awarded on a national basis to a limited number of qualifying students interested in pursuing a higher education degree in Facilities Management, Engineering, Architecture, Construction or Facility Maintenance with an emphasis on Healthcare.

 

State MECH Program Manager:  An individual authorized by the CMO to act on its behalf regarding the administration of the MECH program.  This individual will be designated as the liaison with the MECH Office.  He/she will be authorized, either as an individual or through the function of a committee, to implement, schedule and market the MECH program within the CMO’s area of jurisdiction.

 

AGREEMENT

 

Under the Charter Member Agreement a new organization will need to fill out an agreement with MECH. This procedure codifies the agreement, the pricing and how the working arrangements are to be conducted. The following are pertinent parts of the agreement:

 

Working Arrangements

The CMO will receive the MECH Organizational Packet, which includes:

1.      Promotional information including samples of brochures, marketing information and order forms. (Available online)

2.      One complementary copy of the Structured Interview and Evaluation Tools Manual for reference.

3.      One complementary copy of the Study Guide with Sample Test Questions for reference.

4.      One MECH On-Site Certification kit

5.      One each Senior Certified Healthcare Mechanic and Certified Healthcare Mechanic patch.

 

All correspondence and liaison between the Charter Organization and MECH will be conducted through an identified and sanctioned person within the designated association: The Charter Organization is required to submit at least three (3) additional names of members acting as resource people to the State MECH Program Manager.

 

Fees and Pricing Schedule

All fees and pricing will be shared with the CMO at the time of the agreement.

 

On-Site Certification (OSC)

A Charter Member Organization (CMO) manages it’s own OSC.

The CMO may only implement On-Site Certification within its regional jurisdiction.  If OSC is requested by a facility outside the CMO’s jurisdiction, the CMO will refer the facility to MECH. An individual or institution within the jurisdiction of the CMO requests OSC and the CMO manages the program.  The OSC institution will pay the On-Site Charter Member price.  The CMO will be billed the On-Site Charter Organization cost.  If the institution or individual requesting OSC is not a member of the state association, the CMO may charge the Non-Member price for each test.

 

The Charter Member Organization will:

·        Download and send the Proctor selection criteria sheet and affidavit form and keep original on file.

·        Download the Proctor On-Site Guide.

·        Transfer Proctor demographics to MECH.

·        Receive demographic information about the test candidates and the institution.

·        Transfer the demographic information of each test candidate to MECH, including: Name, social security number, years of experience, institution name, address and phone number.

·        Send payment for certification tests to MECH.

 

MECH will:

·        Provide sample of Proctor Guide and associated materials (Available online).

·        Receive information from the Charter Member Organization.

·        Order the test(s) for the date requested by the CMO.

·        Process the test results and send them directly to the CMO each test candidate.

·        Provide complete pass/fail test summary to CMO.

 

Scholarships

Interested individuals from Chartered Regions are eligible for consideration for a MECH Scholarship.  This program is administered by the MECH Scholarship Committee on a national basis to a limited number of qualifying Healthcare Mechanics or potential Healthcare Mechanics who wish to purse a degree in the fields of: Facilities Management, Engineering, Architecture, Construction, or Facilities Maintenance with an emphasis on Healthcare.

 

Contact MECH regarding the Charter Member Agreement