Montana Healthcare Foundation Seeks Trustees [AUDIO]

After the successful sale of Blue Cross/Blue Shield to the Health Care Service Corporation, Montana Attorney General Tim Fox created the Montana Healthcare Foundation, using $40.2 million dollars from the proceeds of the sale.

Now, five trustees are being sought to govern the foundation.

Interim trustee Edwin Eck was asked by Attorney General Fox to create a search and steering committee to seek applications from interested Montanans who wish to serve as trustees.

"The foundation would fund a number of projects for Montanans and their health care," Eck said. "It could be making grants for other nonprofits that are assisting in health care matters. The trustees would have broad discretion as long as its within the mandate of funding health care projects for Montanans. They would be able to identify the projects with the most crying needs and use the foundation's funds to assist them."

Eck said the qualifications to be a trustee are spelled out in the foundation's website. There are deadlines for submitting names for consideration to be a trustee.

"The selection committee has indicated that all applications should be in no later than August 23, 2013," Eck said. "People who wish to nominate someone else to be a trustee should send a nominating letter, along with the nominee's contact information no later than August 9, 2013."

Two of the five trustees will serve a term of six years, two will serve a term of five years and one will serve a term of four years.