The Aug. 24 meeting of the Haxtun Hospital District Board of Directors may have been short, but the information presented was positive. Department heads and administration reported a number of positive outcomes from the month of July, including a grant from the Department of Local Affairs.

According to Dewane Pace, HHD Chief Executive Officer, HHD recently received an infrastructure improvement grant that will allow for facility improvements over the next few months.

“Haxtun Hospital, as we know, is in a building that was constructed and opened in 1964,” Pace said in his report to the Board. “Much of the original infrastructure is still in place. An addition was completed and opened in 1993 and much of the infrastructure in that building is still in place. As we strive to meet the needs of our community and provide services in Haxtun, we realize that the infrastructure must be able to support our efforts.”

The DOLA grant will help in areas including the boilers, HVAC units, electrical and lighting as well as other improvements such as a new roof and some internal upgrades.

“While these improvements will not be highly visible, they are vital to our ability to continue to operate and expand services that we offer to our community,” Pace added.

Pace also gave board members an update on the new lab at HHD during last Monday night’s meeting. “We have moved our lab to a new location in the building, added new analyzers and expanded the number of tests that are performed here in Haxtun,” he said. “This will improve patient care by greatly reducing the amount of time it takes for physicians to get lab results back and adjust patient treatment.”

The next step for the lab, he added, is relocating the area where patients have their blood drawn. “We will be moving the draw room slightly down the hall so it is closer to the new lab. The new lab draw room will be bigger, better and meet the regulator requirements for phlebotomy,” Pace said.

Pace also announced the purchase of a third ambulance to the Haxtun fleet. He said the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over and HHD remains vigilant at continuing to provide a safe space for patients and staff.

“We continue to have regular meetings, have adequate protective equipment and supplies and are constantly updating and making modifications to treat, prevent and plan for cases,” Pace told the Board. “This includes the addition of a third ambulance to our Haxtun fleet. We have added and equipped the third ambulance to better meet the needs of our community.”

During his Chief of Staff report, Dr. Benjamin Stephenson, MD, told the Board that while HHD continues to see patients who have been showing symptoms of COVID, no further positive cases have been identified and the number of patients that need to be tested has gone down.

At the start of the meeting, Chief Financial Officer Joleen Stroyek gave her financial report for July’s month end with positive news for board members. Ancillary care unit visits, she said, were up 78 percent over budget for the month with a total of 103 patient days. That number is up 16 percent over budget year to date and 26 percent over the same time last year.

The Extended Care Unit, Stroyek added, had an average daily census of 17.8 for the month of July, just under the 19.8 number included in the budget. Although clinic visits remain low, 13 percent under budget for the month, ancillary visits were up 14 percent for July and seven percent over this time last year.

During his report, Pace also updated board members on the addition of a new Chief of Ancillary Operations, Susan Vaughn. Vaughn and her husband, Steve, recently joined the Haxtun community. Pace said Vaughn has a nursing degree in addition to years of experience in healthcare leadership and a vast knowledge base regarding hospital programs. She will oversee the ancillary departments of lab, radiology, pharmacy, physical therapy, clinic, specialty clinic, quality and risk management.