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By Candie Fix
Managing Editor 

Bamford to serve as HHD Board President

 


The May 18 meeting of the Haxtun Hospital District Board of Directors brought re-organization following elections this spring. Despite not having an election due to lack of interested citizens in running, the Board is down a member, Scott Thompson, who finished his final term after 10 years last month. Thompson served as President over the past few years.

Two members did choose to run again, including Kent Bamford and Rod Salvador, but even with the two returning members, the Board of Directors still short one member.

At the start of the meeting, board member Jeff Firme called the meeting to order and fellow member Jeri Soens provided the invocation. There being no visitors or comments, Firme provided the oath of office for incumbents Bamford and Salvador. Then the Board re-formed voting to elect Bamford as President, Salvador as Vice President and Firme as Secretary/Treasurer. Soens will serve as a general member.

To kick off reports during the hour-long meeting, Chief Financial Officer Joleen Stroyek gave board members a presentation for the month ending April 30. Stroyek told the Board that the clinic took the biggest hit in April due to patient hesitation in coming in during the current pandemic.

Clinic visits, for both Haxtun and Fleming, totaled 270 for the month, which is a negative 35 percent under budget for the month and negative two percent under budget year-to-date. Ancillary visits were also down in April, coming in at 3,600 for the month, five percent under budget.

Stroyek and Chief Executive Director Dewane Pace both thanked the team at HHD for their dedication during the pandemic. “Dewane and Joleen thanked the team for all their sacrifices and all their efforts,” meeting minutes state.

Pace added that HHD did not have to perform any layoffs or furloughs during the current situation and that it took the whole staff at HHD to make that happen.

In her Chief Nursing Officer report, Registered Nurse Lea White said that the clinic continues to see patients and that staff have separated established care visits from acute illness at the Haxtun clinic. Established patients are seen in the mornings and acute illness patients are seen in the afternoon. Additionally, the Fleming clinic is open three days a week and medical assistants are performing blood draws for labs for patients who are seen in Fleming to reduce lab traffic at the hospital.

In addition, White said the specialty clinic has resumed with normal operations while also observing guidelines set by the Centers for Disease and Control to reduce the spread of COVID-19. She said all are using and conserving personal protective equipment.

As for the extended care unit, White added that there are currently 20 residents and all non-essential visitation is still restricted.

It was noted, during the Chief of Staff report, that Doctor Breck McCarty expects to return to work at the clinic part-time beginning in June. Additionally, at least one doctor has been on mandatory quarantine due to potential COVID-19 exposure.

In approving the Chief of Staff report, board members also approved the following credentialing: Philippe Tirman, MD, for radiology consulting and Jessica Bullard, FNP, active family medicine.

Later, in his report, Pace told board members that HHD continues to have the hospital incident command active and members continue to meet regularly. He said Stand Up Safety Huddle meetings take place every Monday morning and that as of now, PPE inventory is adequate. He said staffing levels are adequate and there continues to be restricted access to the facility.

He also noted that Haxtun Hospital received Federal stimulus dollars just as other hospitals have.

“While this helps our current cash situation and is helpful, the majority of the dollars received are an advance payment from the Federal government and will be recouped or paid back in the coming months by having payments withheld for care that we provide,” he said. “Other dollars received are restricted in their use and are designated for COVID treatment or preparations. We continue to see lower numbers of visits and will more than likely see an extended negative impact to our financial situation due to the pandemic.”

The next HHD Board of Directors meeting is slated for Monday, June 22 at 7 p.m.

 

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