The November 2022 Box Butte General Hospital Board Meeting was called to order at noon on Monday, November 28th. The topics of discussion included the rising cases of respiratory illnesses (particularly RSV, Influenza, and COVID-19 variants), recruitment efforts, and employee engagement.
Employees were also recognized and introduced at the beginning of the meeting. Staff Nurse Diana Lauder was recognized as the November Employee of the Month and new employees introduced included Communications Clerk McKinley Backous, Physical Therapist (pediatric focus) Ivy Shelmadine, and Environmental Services Tech Natasha Ochoa.
After the Consent Calendar was approved the Quality and Safety report was presented by Mary Mockerman, BBGH Chief Quality Officer. She noted BBGH has seen a rise in patients with respiratory illnesses; specifically, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), influenza, and COVID-19. She advised consistent hand hygiene and mask use for any and all individuals feeling under-the-weather with flu or respiratory illness symptoms to help slow the spread of infections. She added this cold and flu season is starting earlier than experienced in the recent years.
After a Financial report- with no significant changes- from Chief Finance Officer Mike O’Dell and an update from Chief Operations Officer Jim Bargen on the MEDITECH transition- which is still on track- Director of Organizational Development Brooke Shelmadine presented results from the BBGH Employee Engagement Survey that was completed in September. She noted that overall, engagement, wellbeing, and hope have increased for employees. When compared with other hospitals, BBGH also sits at a higher percentage for engagement than most. While these are great improvements, Brooke stated the departments and committees she works with are committed to continue helping BBGH “put our people first” by developing more programming to educate managers, boost engagement, and invest in employee wellbeing.
After all credentialing was approved, the meeting was adjourned at 12:56 p.m. and entered into executive session. The next board meeting is scheduled for December 19 at noon in the Alliance Room at BBGH. The public is welcome to attend.
