State surveyors, Federal updates, summer job opportunities and staff reports topped agenda items in a short, less than an hour-long meeting of the Haxtun Health Board of Directors at the end of February.

The Monday night, Feb. 27 meeting opened with the financial report, given by Chief Executive Officer Dewane Pace in the absence of Chief Financial Officer Joleen Stroyek.

Pace said the average daily census for the acute care unit, or the hospital side, was .9, which is 26 percent over budget for the month. Numbers in the CFO report represent the period ending Jan. 31. Pace also noted that the average daily census for swing bed patients totaled 2.9, that number 47 percent over budget for the month. The extended care unit had an average daily census of 16, shy three of the budgeted 19 for January. That is a negative of 15 percent under budget for the month.

In sticking with statistics, the Hospital’s leader said the clinic in Haxtun saw 302 patients in January, that number up largely from 265 as noted in budget figures. The Fleming Clinic saw 80 patients throughout the month, that number also a positive compared to budget numbers.

Haxtun Health’s total operating expenses were 11 percent over budget; year-to-date, gross patient revenue as of Jan. 31 was $1,623,000, nine percent over budget.

Chief Nursing Officer Lea White said in her report that Haxtun Health had no employees or ECU patients with COVID since the last meeting. She noted that Phillips County was, at the time, in a medium transmission level for COVID. White said masks are not required unless taking care of a patient with suspected or positive for COVID.

“Although hospitalizations continue to be extremely low for this strain of COVID, we continue to offer the latest vaccine to those who request this and high-risk patients,” Chief of Staff Doctor Ben Stephenson said later in his report.

White also gave an update on a recent unannounced site visit from the Department of Public Health and Environment. She said the Haxtun Health team prepared and implemented a plan of correction from the previous visit and submitted that to the State. In the most recent visit, a surveyor came for half a day for a re-survey and all necessary changes had been implemented and Haxtun Health was found to be in full compliance.

“This was a re-visit from the last survey to check for compliance,” Pace added. “We were found to be in complete compliance and passed this survey. This survey only lasted for half of the day on Tuesday, Feb. 21.”

In his CEO report, Pace gave an overview of a Federal government program he says Haxtun Health wants no part of. “For 46 million Americans, rural hospitals are a lifeline. Haxtun Health has made a life and death difference for many in our community and intends to continue,” he said.

According to Pace, the Federal government’s answer to rising costs and providing healthcare in rural America is to offer an option for small rural hospitals to stop being hospitals and to just keep their emergency departments. The new designation, he said, is called a Rural Emergency Hospital and was created by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

“This act gives critical access hospitals the option to give up their hospital beds and only provide emergency care. In exchange for doing this, the Federal government would give those hospitals up to $3 million a year. This offer may sound tempting on the surface but what about those who don’t want to travel two to three hours to be admitted to a hospital?” said Pace. “What about blizzards and road closures that prevent transferring patients to larger hospitals? What about large hospitals that are full and not accepting patients?”

Pace said Haxtun Health is a good hospital that provides great care for a rural community that includes not only an emergency department, but also and extended care unit, inpatient services and swing bed care.

“If our hospital were to close its beds, our community would not only lose all of this care but the hospital would lose a lot more than $3 million in revenue from those services. This is a lose, lose proposition for the hospital and the community. This Federal government solution does not make sense for us – no thank you!” said Pace.

Also in his report, Pace told board members that Haxtun Health is offering summer jobs to local high school students. “There are many people that work in the hospital that are not doctors or nurses. Indeed, it takes an entire team to make a hospital run including the many support departments that make it all possible,” he said. “Computer support, maintenance, office, clerical, restocking and supply positions, landscaping, cleaning and more.”

Positions are available May 30 through Aug. 4 with flexible hours ranging from 20-40 hours per week. Interested candidates should visit the Haxtun Health website at haxtunhealth.org or call (970) 774-6123 ext. 1940.