Special meeting purpose was to choose the GRMC Board of Trustee applicants to interview on July 18

By Mary Alice Murphy

In a special meeting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, the Grant County Commission chose the final applicants out of the 11 who put their names in the hat to serve on the Gila Regional Medical Center Board of Directors.

No one gave public input.

Commissioner Billy Billings thanked the 11 applicants. "It's encouraging that so many qualified candidates applied for the positions. In past history, we've had one, two, maybe three, so this is great."

Commission Chairman Chris Ponce said because there were 11 applicants, commissioners decided they each would rank all 11 candidates

The 11 applicants were
1. Charles L. Kelly
2. Cynthia P. Moreno
3. Donald J. Stinar
4. Gail Stamler
5. Gilbert Guadiana
6. James R. Marshall
7. James R. Skee
8. Joel Schram
9. Raymond Goellner
10. Simon G. Ortiz
11. Tom Blanchard

Commissioner Alicia Edwards moved to accept the top six in ranking. When Commissioner Javier Salas pointed out that the two in the numbers 6 and 7 rankings had identical numbers, Edwards changed her motion to the top 7.

The seven remaining in order of ranking are:
1) Cynthia P. Moreno
2) James Marshall
3) Dr. James R. Skee
4) Gail Stamler
5) Dr. Donald J. Stinar
6) Raymond Goellner
7) Joel Schram.
The commissioners had no reports, so the special meeting adjourned.

The work session began with County Officials' reports.

Detention Center Administrator Mike Carillo said his report was in the packet given to the commissioners and he would stand for questions. None was posed.

Community Development and Planning Director Michael "Mischa" Larisch said construction on the renovation at Whiskey Creek Volunteer Fire Department continues.

Rosedale Road is preparing for paving.

"The contractor is starting today on the Administration Center roof," Larisch said. "It should take about a month."

The bid should be finalized for the Grant County Airport Terminal renovation by the August meeting. "The Tyrone ADA project is on this agenda to adopt the agreement on Thursday. We are already working on the bids and want to start the project in the fall before it gets too cold to do concrete. For the Airport Road, they will punch holes to check the base and determine what they need to do. We have had requests for more items to be added to the ICIP (Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan), which we will have ready later in July or the first meeting in August. We are also working on the $14,000 planning grant for the old detention center."

He said Moises Gonzales of the University of New Mexico School of Architecture is determining how the goals of this old detention center will fit into his curriculum. and how he can get students to help do the renderings.

Edwards asked to clarify that the public meeting on the old detention cention was part of Phase I.

Larisch confirmed it was the end of Phase I. "We are now in Phase II, which will include the environmental assessment."

He said that his department continues to work on the Wildlife Protection Plan. "It will take about nine months to complete the plan. There will be at least one public meeting and a draft for review. I got information from Tyrone VFD Roger Groves for the plan. Speaking of fire, the Pinos Altos Volunteer Fire Department pulled out of the parade to fight a fire on July 4th. And there was a fire in Hurley the night of the Fourth. The fires stayed small and were extinguished quickly."

Ponce said he received an email about a road sign that needs to be replaced.

Salas asked about Bataan Park. Larisch said Jason Lockett had reached out for bids.

Turrieta said an upcoming tournament would be held at Scott Park.

"Cobre Schools does cross-country training and meets at Bataan," Larisch said. "We are working with the Forest Service on the trails. Silver Schools may also do cross-country events there. I hope to have the ICIP ready for the next meeting, with items prioritized."

Billings asked what precautions were being taken on the roof during the monsoons.

"The contractor said he has a plan for changeover," Larisch said. "He said they can take up the old and put on the new base layer in one day."

With no public input, the next item was the monthly presentation from Gila Regional Medical Center.

Chief Executive Officer Taffy Arias introduced the new Chief Nursing Officer Rose Lopez.

"It is an honor to be Chief Nursing Officer at Gila Regional and an honor to stand before you," Lopez said. "My goal is to provide evidence-based care for everyone in this community."

Arias also noted that the new executive committee of the Board of Trustees had been selected in open session after the executive session of the last board meeting.

"Tony Trujillo will serve as the chairman," Arias said. "Dr. Victor Nwachuku will continue as vice-chairman, and Jeannie Miller will serve as secretary. I want to take this opportunity to thank Mike Morones for his tenure and for serving as chairman."

Morones said it has been an honor working with the hospital. "It's probably the most difficult challenge I've taken on. I'm glad the hospital is still county-owned. I look forward to the new trustees. Thank you for your support."

Arias announced a grand opening for the new family medicine clinic in Deming on July 15. "We will also have specialists rotating there." She handed out invitations and encouraged commissioners to attend the grand opening.

"What is most important is we have asked and urged commissioners to participate in the board meetings," Arias said. "We want you to come and see for yourself. As one of the commissioners said at your last meeting, 'we need further discussion on these applicants before we make a decision, because the hospital is too important.' We couldn't agree more. When we're talking about the Board of Trustees, it is one of your most important decisions because it will determine who will be my boss. I like to think I work not only for the Board of Trustees, but for the community. The purpose of the hospital is more than the building and the people who work there, it's the community. No one has talked to us about this decision. We would be glad to talk to you about it."

Salas asked to be emailed about when the Board of Trustees meetings are held.

Arias said they are held at noon on the last Friday of every month. "We will also be holding them in the conference room, instead of the small board room. Our new chairman said he wants more space for more people to participate."

Ponce said the commissioners are always open to meetings, too. "You can reach out to us, too. The special meeting where we will interview the applicants will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 18. You can always get hold of me. The hospital is very important to us. I have had only a few of the candidates reach out to me."

Edwards said the commissioners had talked about holding the evening meeting. "That's how important it is for the transparency. We think it's important for the interviews to happen in the public realm. If you have concerns about the applicants, bring them to the July 18 meeting."

Gila Regional Medical Center Chief Financial Officer Richard Stokes presented his report to the commissioners.

He started by saying how much he appreciates the Silver City climate. "I've been out of town. I landed in Orlando, and I had to walk from about here to the middle of the parking lot, I didn't have a dry bit of clothing on me. New Mexico has made me soft when it comes to humidity, but I made it, and I'm glad to be back. I was at a national health care financial management association meeting. It's the first one I've been to in a while. The theme was to 'Be 'Bold.' I sat at a table with a lady from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. We talked about the struggles in rural health care. She had the very same struggles. We, rural hospitals, are held to the same standards as Mayo. It was a great meeting."

For highlights from his report, Stokes said that in May, the hospital had a $96,000 profit, with the year-to-date profit standing at $181,000. "In the EBIDA (earnings before interest, depreciation and amortization), we had a $2.77 million cash spinoff this year. That compares to last year, when we had a about $5 million cash spinoff, right after a $5 million infusion from the safety net care pool, which we know isn't going to happen this year. Our cash collections stand at 32 percent, with the cash to net revenue collection in excess of revenue at 123 percent."

He said he had a couple of announcements. "Our new system controller is Jennifer Klotz, who comes to us from a hospital in West Virginia. She is very knowledgeable and an eager young lady. We also have a new patient financial director, Wanda Charnock, who has more than 20 years of experience with that side of hospitals. They both have a world of experience. We are rounding out our talent pool in financial. We are also doing a 100 percent balance sheet review. We are making sure we have all the documentation in place, getting ready for our audit. We are continuing our income statement review. I have heard there is some movement at the state on the safety net care pool. I hope to have a report on that at our next meeting. The board at our last meeting approved our updated charity care policy. It was critical to have it done before the end of fiscal year 2019 because it will be the base for next year. It will impact our Medicare form S10, which New Mexico is transitioning to for fiscal year 2020. It will be part of the phasing in of a plan for paying for uncompensated care in the state, using the S10 format. We know it will impact 2020. By 2023, it will be completely driven by S10. We are working hard on anticipating upcoming reimbursement changes."

Stokes continued by saying the hospital has commissioned a formal study for rural health care designation. "We are in the process of reviewing the draft. It will take some money, although we should break even in about three months. We also commissioned a critical access study, which we will present to the board to decide if it's the proper move for us."

Billings commented: "Last year in April you met with the commissioners. For your financial plan, you were looking at the loss over the past six years for $18.3 million. That was a significant nose dive. The $181,000 doesn't sound like much of a profit, but it's better than the $3 million loss each year over six years. This sounds a lot better. I want to thank Mr. Morones for his service. I thought he did a very good job. He told me he thought his time commitment was more onerous than when he was Silver City mayor. It takes a lot of time to be a trustee. I also want to thank Jeannie Miller, out there in the audience, for also serving as a trustee."

Ponce made an emotional statement. "I really thank your staff at Gila Regional. My mother was there for five days. She died on June 16. The care and compassion she received were awesome. I cannot express enough thanks. Dr. Sherpa was excellent. The compassion I saw. I really appreciate the care they took, which made it a little easier for me."

He followed up with: "I did get an email requesting that your report be given at the regular meeting rather than the work session."

Arias extended her condolences to Ponce. "Thank you for sharing. And thank you to Commissioner Billings for noting the positive financial change at the hospital. It takes a focused team. Health care is made up of different types of systems, including private practitioners and the hospital. All of them do wonderful things for the community. We will share what you said with staff. They will be happy to hear positive things from this commission."

And about the issue of having the report at the regular meeting, Arias said: "It seems that the regular meeting is better attended." They concluded their report

Larisch said he had texted the roof contractor, who said he has contingencies in place. "He will look at the weather and plan accordingly. Sometimes, he will get caught off guard, but he does have tarps."

The next article will combine the discussions from the review of the regular agenda at the work session with the decisions made at the regular meeting.