2026 Voter Guide: Polk County Hospital Trustees

Election: November 3, 2026 | Nonpartisan county contest | Vote for up to two | Live. Work. Thrive.: Essential Needs, Justice and Economic Opportunity

Three candidates are running for two seats on the Polk County Public Hospital Board of Trustees, which governs Broadlawns Medical Center. Voters may select up to two names. The office is nonpartisan, and the candidates' public statements are not endorsements or independent findings by NAACP Des Moines.

What does the Board of Trustees do?

Broadlawns is Polk County's public hospital. Its seven-member board provides governance and oversight for the institution, including leadership accountability, financial stewardship, long-term planning, and the hospital's public-service role. The trustees are not elected to diagnose patients or manage individual clinical decisions. Their choices can affect which services are available, how the organization invests in its facilities and workforce, and how it addresses access and affordability within its resources and legal responsibilities.

The 2026 election fills two seats. The candidates listed in ballot order are Emily Webb, Emily Westergaard, and Abu Bakarr Sillah. Broadlawns' official board directory lists Webb as chair and Westergaard as a member. Sillah is challenging as a non-incumbent candidate.

Meet the candidates

Emily Webb | Current trustee and board chair

Background. Webb is an attorney with a law degree from Creighton University and an MBA from the University of Iowa. Broadlawns identifies her as its current board chair. She has experience in community organizations and nonprofit service.

Stated priorities. Webb's published campaign information emphasizes community-centered healthcare and describes accessible, high-quality healthcare as a basic need. In her 2026 candidate questionnaire, she identifies mental health, substance-use treatment, and behavioral health as especially important policy areas. Her remarks also point to Broadlawns' role in training physicians and serving people beyond Des Moines.

What is documented, and what is not. Her position as chair is confirmed by the hospital's own board listing. Broad statements about access and the value of services should not be confused with an independently measured outcome for any particular program. More detail on specific future board votes may be available through board materials.

Emily Westergaard | Current trustee

Background. Westergaard is a nonprofit executive director and an incumbent trustee. She reports having joined the board by appointment in 2025. Her published biography identifies education at Grinnell College and Drake University and involvement in local housing and early-childhood initiatives.

Stated priorities. Westergaard's 2026 questionnaire and campaign material emphasize extending access to care, including neighborhood-based and mobile approaches; investing in specialist services, facilities, and the healthcare workforce; and keeping care available for patients who face financial barriers. She also discusses the importance of transportation, housing, food access, and economic stability in people's ability to obtain and benefit from healthcare. She has expressed particular interest in maternal health and memory or brain health.

What is documented, and what is not. Her current board membership is confirmed by Broadlawns. Specific service expansions she discusses are proposals or priorities, not guaranteed projects or independently verified results.

Abu Bakarr Sillah | Non-incumbent candidate

Background. Sillah describes his professional background as nonprofit leadership with experience in organizational leadership and healthcare management. His published candidate information includes work involving community service, quality assurance, and healthcare-related partnerships.

Stated priorities. Sillah's campaign describes four focus areas: accessibility of public healthcare; service quality and patient safety; responsible financial oversight; and listening to community members, patients, and employees. His candidate questionnaire additionally discusses mental-health access, preventive services, older adults and vulnerable families, and addressing differences in access to care.

What is documented, and what is not. These are Sillah's self-reported priorities and professional background, not evidence of prior decisions on the Broadlawns board. He has not served as an incumbent trustee in this election cycle.

Comparing the issues raised in public statements

Healthcare access and affordability

Webb argues for high-quality healthcare that people can reach without undue hardship. Westergaard emphasizes reducing barriers through outreach and maintaining care regardless of financial circumstances. Sillah emphasizes accessible, respectful, and affordable public healthcare. All three have discussed access, but their available statements describe different activities and emphases rather than identical implementation plans.

Behavioral and mental health

Webb names mental health, substance use, and behavioral health as central priorities. Westergaard discusses brain and memory health as well as broader health and family needs. Sillah includes mental-health services and preventive care among his priorities. Their public materials do not establish a directly comparable, fully costed proposal for each of these services.

Oversight, staffing and long-term sustainability

Webb brings incumbent board-chair experience. Westergaard discusses financial sustainability and investments in facilities and the workforce. Sillah specifically calls for fiscal stewardship, patient safety, and accountability in the use of public resources. An officeholder's prior service and a candidate's stated commitments are different types of evidence; neither should be treated as an automatic performance judgment.

Community conditions that influence health

Westergaard expressly connects care access to stable housing, transportation, food, and economic stability. Webb emphasizes the institution's community role and access to basic needs. Sillah calls for community participation in decision-making and improved access for underserved groups. Public statements vary in detail, so no position should be inferred from an omission.

Questions voters can ask every candidate

How would you assess whether Broadlawns is meeting needs that other healthcare systems do not? Which measures of access, quality, patient experience, workforce stability, and financial performance should be made public? How would you balance the hospital's public-service mission with long-term sustainability? What should the board do when residents report transportation, language, or cost barriers to care?

Sources and further reading

• Broadlawns Medical Center, official Board of Trustees: https://www.broadlawns.org/about/board-of-trustees

• Polk County Auditor, 2026 election office and nomination details: https://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/county-auditor/election/news-and-press-releases/general-election-november-3-2026-candidate-information/

• Emily Webb, candidate questionnaire (candidate-submitted answers): https://ballotpedia.org/Emily_Webb_%28Polk_County_Public_Hospital_Trustee_Board%2C_Iowa%2C_candidate_2026%29

• Emily Westergaard, candidate questionnaire (candidate-submitted answers): https://ballotpedia.org/Emily_Westergaard_%28Polk_County_Public_Hospital_Trustee_Board%2C_Iowa%2C_candidate_2026%29

• Abu Bakarr Sillah, candidate questionnaire (candidate-submitted answers): https://ballotpedia.org/Abu_Bakarr_Sillah_%28Polk_County_Public_Hospital_Trustee_Board%2C_Iowa%2C_candidate_2026%29

• Iowa law governing county hospital trustee elections and terms: https://law.justia.com/codes/iowa/title-ix/chapter-347/section-347-9/

Research and editorial note

Research sources last reviewed November 2, 2026. Candidate backgrounds and statements are attributed to the individuals and source publishers. Where specific budgets, votes, or implementation plans were not established from available records, they have not been inferred. This is a nonpartisan informational guide, not an endorsement, grading system, or recommendation for either of the two seats.