The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

“This situation is very fluid and changing daily, if not hourly, and we are staying on top of it.”

That’s the final message Chief Executive Officer Dewane Pace gave board members at the end of his report during the Haxtun Hospital District Board of Directors March meeting last week. Most, if not all, his report encompassed the COVID-19 situation at the local level.

The Board chose to host their meeting in person, and on-site, despite several visitor restrictions in place within the facility. Three members, Scott Thompson, Jeff Firme and Kent Bamford, tended to business and heard reports from department heads and physicians. Members Rod Salvador and Jeri Soens were absent.

In his report to board members, Pace said HHD has taken a number of steps to prepare for the COVID-19 situation including complying with all Federal and State public health mandates, participating in daily communication with Federal and State agencies, restricting access to the facility, implementing a daily intake screening for employees, implementing screening for visitors, posting signage at entrances regarding restricted access, conducting frequent safety huddles, pushing out press releases and digital media messages and continuing to evaluate and report supply inventory.

Pace said all clinical questions are being directed to Lea White, Chief Nursing Officer, who will handle all medical staff, infection prevention and emergency preparedness situations. All communications will be directed through Julia Biesemeier, Marketing Director and Public Information Officer. This, he said, will give one-point contact and coordination for each designated area.

“Our concerns are primarily around staffing,” Pace added. “If the current 14-day quarantine for exposed staff remains in place, this could be devastating to our current work force as this is not practical or feasible for our limited number of heath care workers.”

He also told the Board that HHD received an Emergency Declaration from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that waived certain regulatory restrictions for Critical Access Hospitals including the 25-bed limit and 96-hour length of stay restriction.

Many of the staff reports at the meeting last week pertained to the COVID-19 situation, including that by Chief of Staff Breck McCarty, who attended the meeting remotely. The local physician said as for the clinic, efforts are in place to segregate all well visits and follow ups to be held in the mornings and allowing for sick/acute visits for afternoons. She said that should the Haxtun Family Medicine Center see an increased number of sick visits, it is likely all well visits will stop and/or be moved to the Fleming Clinic if staffing allows. At this time, the Clinic has postponed all elective/non-emergent procedures to protect patients and staf.

McCarty also presented the following for credentialing, which were approved by the Board: Breck McCarty, MD, family medicine; Craig McCarty, MD, family medicine; and Gary Rath, MD, consulting, cardiology.

White’s CNO reported echoed much of what Pace and McCarty had to say to the Board, also noting that all external education is on hold during this time. She said HHD has one current opening for a full-time registered nurse.

The March 23 meeting opened with the financial report presented by Chief Financial Officer Joleen Stroyek, who said that acute numbers were over budget for the month as well as year-to-date. She said there were a total of 65 patient days, 16 in-patient and 49 swing bed, compared to budgeted numbers of 55 and 36, respectively.

Numbers swayed the other way, however, for the extended care unit. Stroyek said the average daily census for February ending was 16, under the budgeted number of 19.8.

As for clinic visits, Haxtun and Fleming clinics totaled 441 for February and 970 for the year. Those numbers are nine percent over budget for the month and 16 percent over budget year-to-date.

Ancillary visits came in at 3,460 for February and were at 7,520 for the year; those numbers are low for the month and year, but over figures from this time the year prior.

For up-to-date information during the COVID-19 situation, continue to watch HHD’s website at haxtunhealth.org and the Facebook page, Haxtun Hospital District.