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BBGH Trustees approve $5,000 for scholarships

The Box Butte General Hospital Board of Trustees met Monday, January 25 and heard a request from Chief Nursing Officer Carolyn Jones to approve $5,000 in scholarships for college and high school students seeking careers in healthcare. The hospital has offered its scholarship program for many years. “This has been a program that benefits both the scholarship recipients and the hospital as a whole,” she said. “It is a great program and is very much appreciated by our community (the hospital’s service area).” She said the funding will be divided into $1,000 scholarships for college students and $500 for high school seniors. Asked by Trustee Tom Furman, DVM if the scholarship applications are judged locally or by individuals outside the community, Ms. Jones said the hospital has been sending the applications to the executive team at Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn, NE over the past several years. The executive team judges the applications then sends them back to BBGH. “All of our applicants last year received scholarships, with the Nemaha County Hospital executive team commenting they were all very qualified individuals,” she said. The board unanimously approved funding the scholarship program at the requested amount.

The Trustees also conducted the following business.

The board congratulated BBGH Controller Bridget Miller, CPA, for being named the January 2016 Employee of the Month. They also recognized Greater Nebraska Medical & Surgical Services Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine specialist Bryan Bomberg, MD, for being chosen the 2015 4th Quarter Provider of Choice.  Dietary Manager Ana Duran was congratulated on obtaining her new position, replacing former manager Donna Weingart who retired in early December of 2015. New employees introduced to the board included: Medical Lab Technician James Kayras; Medical Technologist Tyler Wagner; Environmental Services Amanda Howe; Communications Clerk/Greeter Chelsey Heredia; Greeter Maurine Roller; Dietary Cook Katelynn Howard; and HR Assistant Jenni Sample.

After unanimously approving the consent calendar, Chief Quality Officer Mary Mockerman presented her monthly Quality Management & Safety report. The Nebraska Coalition for Patient Safety report for the month focused on an incident at another hospital where an update in Electronic Health Record (EHR) software from the hospital’s vendor resulted in a patient not receiving her prescribed medication over several days. Casual factors in the error included incomplete testing and programming of EHR by the vendor; failure to test real life scenarios prior to installation of EHR updates; and lack of input from front-line users during EHR testing and prior to update release. Ms. Mockerman said processes at BBGH are in place to mitigate such instances happening here. She reported the State of Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is reporting only sporadic incidences of influenza in Nebraska as of January 16. She also reported that BBGH is part of the Hospital Engagement Network (HEN). HEN will be provided 2015 baseline data in six categories to track: 30-day post-op infections; catheter associated urinary tract infections; Clostridium Difficile survey; workplace violence reported; early elective deliveries; and patient falls resulting in harm.

Chief of Staff Dr. Timothy Narjes reported working with the Medical Executive Committee on making recommendations to the board related to credentialing as well as moving towards a core privileging model for the entire medical staff.  He also mentioned his ‘steps’ have increased with the new addition (which almost doubled the size of the hospital campus), in which Mr. Briggs quipped it is part of the hospital’s wellness programming. Dr. Narjes mentioned the active medical staff is working with Scott Alwin, CAO, to put together a plan and processes related to patients who have specialty services and may have a complication related to a procedure once the surgeon is no longer immediately available. This entails acquiring contact information, back-up coverage and transfer arrangement preferences.

CEO Dan Griess, FACHE, presented a proposed monthly Governance/Strategy Focus agenda for the coming year. Each month Mr. Griess will present a topic designed to educate the Trustees on different subjects, ranging from updating the board on the hospital’s strategic initiatives to governance, leadership and safety, to name a few. The Trustees approved the agenda as proposed.

Mr. Griess gave a brief update on the addition/renovation project, saying demolition has begun in the old Specialty Clinic and Emergency Department areas, with the demolition contractor to finish within a 3-4 week time frame. “The contractor will then move to the stage one area of The Rehab & Wellness Center remodel and start demolition in that area,” he said. Renovation of the old Specialty Clinic area should be done within 5-6 months. The RWC renovation will take approximately 13 months. “So I’m hoping that we’ll be able to lay down the final hammer, so to speak, in the spring of 2017,” he said. “That will be pretty exciting.”

After all the Trustees signed their annual Conflict of Interest Statements, Chief Operating Officer Lori Mazanec approached the board with a request to fund the annual Employee Recognition Dinner at $25 per plate. The dinner will be held Friday, February 19 at Newberry’s in Alliance. The board unanimously approved the request.

The Trustees entered executive session at 8:44pm for the annual CEO evaluation of Mr. Griess and for Risk Management discussion. They reentered open session at 9:25pm and, with no action taken, adjourned at 9:26pm. The next board meeting will be held Monday, February 29 at 7:00pm in the Medical Arts Plaza Sandhills Room. As always, the public is invited to attend.

Box Butte General Hospital is an equal opportunity provider and employer.