The Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 12:00 p.m. Monday, May 23, 2022 in the Alliance Room at BBGH. The month’s agenda included an update on COVID-19 treatments, the status of the Meditech transition, and insight from Chief of Staff Dr. Narjes. The consent calendar, May financial report, and credentialing requests were all approved as presented.
Quality and Safety updates included COVID-19 hospitalizations, vaccine approvals, and patient treatment. Chief Quality Officer Mary Mockerman stated the Food and Drug Administration is poised to approve a COVID-19 vaccine for children six months of age and older. 70% of the staff at BBGH are fully vaccinated, meaning they have received two doses of the Moderna/Pfizer vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The Joint Commission, BBGH’s accrediting organization, requires a policy and procedure to be in place for unvaccinated staff members. To mitigate segregation of staff members, all staff members are required to complete a daily temperature and health screening and don a mask when in the hospital. Individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 and can be treated in outpatient therapy are receiving oral anti-viral agents, Remdesivir, or a mono-clonal antibody therapy. Admitted COVID-19 patients may be treated with Remdesivir or a mono-clonal antibody therapy. As of May 22, there has been one COVID-19 admission for the month.
Chief Operations Officer Jim Bargen provided an update for the hospital’s electronic health record conversion from Centriq to Meditech. The Meditech project team is currently building users and appropriate securities into the database. This process is being completed prior to the user training so that users have access to training modules with their personal login credentials. The go-live date is November 1st, and the project is currently on schedule.
Chief of Staff Dr. Narjes provided a brief overview of what the staff is collectively experiencing with patients. There are some COVID-19 cases intermittently, but not the same degree of cases that occurred during winter. The emergency room is experiencing an influx in depression and mood disorder cases. May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month.
New BBGH employees include: Katie Dickenson, Patient Registration Clerk, Karen Ramsey, Imaging Clerk, and Dawson Quick, Phlebotomist- Clinic. Also recognized was May Employee of the Month, Mandy Yearling, LPN- GNMSS Clinic. The Rehab & Wellness Center Team was also recognized for receiving the Alliance High School Honorary A-Club award for 2022.
The next BBGH regular board meeting is Monday, June 27th at noon in the Alliance Room. The public is welcome to attend.
Box Butte General Hospital is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
