Trustee Meeting for October, 2018
Mt. Grant General Hospital/Lefa L. Seran Nursing Facility
Board Meeting Minutes
Education Room at Mt. Grant General Hospital
Thursday, October 25, 2018
11:30 a.m.
Present: Tom Fitzgerald; Karen Womack; Michelle Dow; Richard Schumann; Patricia Coen; Hugh Qualls, Administrator; Michael Metkovich, CFO; Jonalee Roberts, Human Resources/Recorder; Dr. Francisco Dofeliz, Jan Kollodge
Absent: Dr. Juanchichos Ventura
- Call to Order
The meeting of the Mt. Grant General Hospital Board of Trustees was called to order at 11:35 a.m. by Chairperson Tom Fitzgerald.
- General Public Comments
Tom Fitzgerald asked how the schedule was going with Dr. Dofeliz and Dr. Ventura. Mr. Qualls reported Dr. Ventura is working every other week and Dr. Dofeliz is alternates working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday one week and Monday, Tuesday the next week. The Clinic is conducting a quality study on how long after a patient calls they must wait to be seen for an appointment. Most are seen same day or within three days. Last Thursday 90 patients were seen in the clinic.
- Approval of minutes
The minutes from the September 27, 2018 were approved as amended with a motion by Richard Schumann, seconded by Karen Womack. Motion carries.
- Financial Report – Michael Metkovich, CPA, CFO
Michael Metkovich distributed and reviewed the Financials as of August 31, 2018 and 2017 and Actuals vs. Budget as of August 31, 2018 (copies attached to original minutes). Low revenue first month of the fiscal year is still affecting financials. Auditors are here today.
A motion was made by Rick Schumann, seconded by Karen Womack, to approve the Mt. Grant General Hospital Balance Sheets as of August 31, 2018. Motion carries.
- Committee Reports
- Trustee of the month – Tom Fitzgerald
Mr. Fitzgerald reported he was at the hospital several times. He visited the night shift. It was quiet and employees were working. Nurses like the new call system. Concrete looks nice. No complaints from anyone. Employees seem happy and work hard. The facility is clean.
- Pharmacy – Jan Kollodge
The Pharmacy report was reviewed (copy attached to original minutes). No medication errors reported. Staff continues to work on reduction of antipsychotic medications. State also looks at antidepressant medications. If administration is low there is concern that the facility is not treating depression.
- Emergency Room – Jan Kollodge
The Emergency Room report was reviewed (copy attached to the original minutes). The ER continues to be busy seeing 204 patients in August.
- Patient Safety – Jan Kollodge
The Patient Safety report was reviewed (copy attached to original minutes). No sentinel events were reported. Saline is now available.
- Administrator – Hugh Qualls
Hugh Qualls reviewed the Administrator Report (copy attached to the original minutes). Emergency preparedness continues to be a priority. Mr. Qualls asked Mr. Schumann for feedback on the hospital’s participation in the mass casualty drill. Richard reported everyone at Mt. Grant did a great job. Carol Lemieux was the incident Commander and did a great job. It was noted that there has been increased participation by Mt. Grant in the SOC drills. The facility also participated in the Shake Out and had a partial evacuation in the SNF. Drills will continue as weather permits for constant training of new staff.
Rick and Karen volunteered to attend the CAH meeting scheduled for October 29 and 30. Patty tentatively volunteered to attend the RHC meeting scheduled for November 9.
Maintenance projects are slowing down. The vac pump will be replaced—it is original from 1963 when the hospital was built. Andy Stinson will be on vacation in November.
Funding for new business office and maintenance shop would come from low interested USDA loan that the hospital would pay off early and savings. The project is estimated to cost 1.2 million. Tom Erickson will be assisting in research needed for the funding.
Another proposed project is an expansion of the skilled nursing facility. The hospital would apply for a grant for the project. There was low attendance at the Town Hall meeting on October 23. John Packham from UNR provided an interesting presentation on the statistics of Mineral County’s aging population. Average age in Mineral County is 47 (verses 36 in Nevada). Over 20% of the population is over 65 (verses 14% in Nevada). An addition of 20 beds would be beneficial for the community. Another community forum will be scheduled. The Mineral County Independent News will also run an article. Staffing and providing dietary services will be the greatest challenges.
Members discussed the Hospital’s role in promoting wellness and prevention in the community. This needs to be a community effort including the school district and county. The Community Paramedic is beneficial as he provides weekly visits monitoring vitals, medications and performs safety checks. The CP has 18 patients. The hospital would like to continue to develop and expand the CP program.
The future of the NurseHealthLine was discussed. It is underutilized. More advertisement will be done. Discussed running an article regarding when to call the nurse healthline. Patty will have the information added to the SOC morning call.
Staffing continues to be a challenge.
The Hospital will host a 5K on November 9th at 3p.m. Carol Lemieux is lead.
The annual Christmas Party will be held on December 14, 2018 at the El Capitan. Jeri Lynne Lande is in charge. We are looking for a band or DJ.
Thank you to the Gazaway family for donating a piano. There is a great picture of Dr. Ventura playing the piano in the newspaper.
- Review, discussion and appropriate action on renewal of employee medical, dental, and vision coverage with Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, effective January 1, 2019
Jonalee Roberts reported there was no increase for medical and dental and only a slight increase of 3% for Vision ($0.14). The Hospital pays 100% of the employee premium and 25% for dependent coverage premium. There will be no change to the plan’s benefits and coverage.
A motion was made by Patricia Coen and seconded by Richard Schumann to approve renewal of employee medical, dental and vision coverage with Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, effective January 1, 2019. Motion carries.
- Review, discussion and appropriate action on proxy privileging for Renown Health Telemedicine Roster for Physicians
A motion was made by Patricia Coen, seconded by Richard Schumann to approve proxy privileging for Renown Telemedicine Roster for Physicians. Motion carries.
New telemedicine consultants are now offered for oncology and gereatrics. Amanda Kerin does a fantastic job. Rachel Laberta will be trained as her backup.
- Trustee Comments/Future Agenda Items—no report
- General Public Comments
Rick Schumann asked for suggestions on when the nurse healthline could be used. Many times patients call the clinic during office hours to talk to the MA and sometimes even the physician. The nurse healthline should be used after clinic hours and before coming to the ER. More advertisement is needed in Gabbs and Tonopah.
The Hospital’s Wellness Committee is planning to host a Wellness Expo in May of 2019.
Board members were reminded to complete the online state reporting. Members up for reelection should do it quarterly. All members should complete annually in January.
- Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 12:29 p.m. with a motion by Patricia Coen, seconded by Richard Schumann. Motion carries.