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

“We promote optimum wellness through compassionate and high-quality care.”

That is the new mission statement at Haxtun Health. A final product of a recent strategic planning project was presented at a late-October meeting of the Board of Directors of Haxtun Health. The 26-page document includes a new mission and vision statement as well as short-term, mid-term and long-term goals of the organization.

“With the current leadership team in place for approximately three years, the team has stabilized and become a fixture of support and innovation — striving to meet the needs of the community,” Chief Executive Officer Dewane Pace said of development of the new strategic plan. Pace said the administrative team answered questions like, “who we are,” “what are we going to do” and “how do we do it.”

In addition to the new mission statement, Haxtun Health also adopted a new vision statement: “Aspiring to be your partner for a healthier community.”

“The common theme through the process was that Haxtun Health is here to promote the health of those in our community and will continually strive to meet those needs through the coming years,” Pace said. “We developed short-term, mid-term and long-term goals that center on continually improving, offering services needed, improving the health of our community, being sustainable, engaging the community on a regular basis and communicating what we are doing.”

Included in the mid-term and long-term goals of Haxtun Health is the physicality of the current building. Board members stressed the importance of specifically including plans for replacement of the current facility into the plan.

Moving forward, Marketing Director Julia Biesemeier will facilitate most of the starting points with future expansion as an ambassador with-in the community.

During his report to board members, Pace addressed a third wave of COVID-19 cases in Colorado. He said at this time there is also a significant uptick in cases in Northeast Colorado as well.

Haxtun Health, he added, has a polymerase-chain-reaction rapid test that has been approved by the FDA and Haxtun Health is the only hospital for a 100-mile radius with this testing capability. Results from the test are available within one hour.

“We have had people come from areas far outside our primary service area and even out-of-state to have this test performed,” Pace said. “Our new lab is proving to be a great asset for our hospital and our community.”

In relation, Chief Nursing Officer Lea White said Haxtun Health has had four staff members test positive for COVID-19. Monitoring of all staff and visitors that enter the building continues, she said, with a low symptom threshold for staff testing. White said she reminds staff and visitors about strict mask wearing while in the facility as well as hand hygiene between all patient contact.

Staff members who tested positive are placed in 14-day isolation, Chief of Staff Dr. Ben Stephenson said. Any other staff members with possible exposure are screened at days one, seven and 14, per Health Department recommendations.

Patients that present symptoms of COVID-19 are asked to stay in their vehicles and staff members go to perform the tests as to not spread the infection into the facility. For those who present severe symptoms, a specified area in the emergency department has been designated for COVID treatment.

Also during the CEO report, Pace talked about the newly purchased space along Haxtun’s main street. Haxtun Health purchased the old Smith Hardware Building back in September. “We had a firm evaluate the building for either a remodel, renovation or complete re-do,” Pace said. “Due to the age of the building and the many challenges to provide a clinical space that meets regulatory requirements, it appears that taking down the building and putting up a new building would be best.”

Pace said the desire would be to have a new building on the inside with a look and feel of an old building on the outside that would blend in with the existing look and feel of the rest of main street.

Haxtun Health recently conducted a community survey to seek input on what the community wished to see in the newly purchased space. Pace said those results included physical therapy/rehab, retail pharmacy and clinic space. Other suggestions included a small retail food space, wellness initiatives and other durable medical equipment offerings.

“We have engaged Cannon Moss Brygger and Associates architectural firm to assist us with drawings for this new space,” Pace told board members. “The future potential and opportunities that this space provides are exciting and positive. We are hoping to have a completed plan and proposal put together in the coming months for what we could potentially accomplish with this space.”

Pace added that the space would be COVID compliant to better prepare Haxtun Health for not just this current pandemic, but for future situations as well.

At the end of the Monday, Oct. 26 meeting, board members entered into a closed-door, executive session to discuss personnel matters, specifically CEO Pace’s annual performance review. No further action was taken on the matter.