[Editor's Note: This article continues with regular meeting reports. This is part 5 of a multi-part series of articles on the Grant County Commission work session of Aug. 9, 2022, and the regular meeting on Aug. 11, 2022. For previous articles, please see the end of this article where they are linked.]
By Mary Alice Murphy
The Grant County Commission regular meeting on Aug. 11, 2022 saw public input.
Rose Shoemaker of Gila said she was representing the Gila Community Center citizen's group. "We started working together in March. More than 52 residents gave me their emails because they were wanting to help. It's a very diverse group. We developed an extensive list of how the community center has been used during its 50 years and also what we would like to use it for in the future. Right now, it's a 1,300 square foot building, so it's extremely small. You mentioned in a prior meeting a 30- by 30-foot building. That would be smaller than what we have now. We developed a scope of work that has everything we want on it. We were told we don't need a blueprint, but that you would like a conceptual drawing. We would like a large gathering area and a covered porch, as well as a sink and counter space for potlucks and for artists' use. The Community Park playground needs to be finished. We are requesting three ramadas, but with room on the covered porch for tables and chairs, that would suffice, when the building is closer to the playground."
Gail Stamler, also part of the group working on the Gila Community Center, said part of the group's problem is "who to talk to. We're trying to figure out the process. I've lived there for 40 years. I've lived rurally for my entire life. The issue in the country is isolation, which has an impact on health. We've seen the impacts of Covid, especially with the kids, acting up, drug overdoses, and it's sad how many kids have committed suicide or tried to. The Community Center creates a place of unity. Without a community center, we would have to use the Exhibit Center at the Fairgrounds. It's a huge impersonal place. At the Community Center, kids are playing, and people can be together. We're watching the kids and visiting. People who are sitting at home by themselves are thinking inside their head and it's not very good The closure of the Senior Center is another great loss. When HMS took over, it became a different place. Before people would joke with the cooks, smell the excellent food cooking, and it was a happy place. Men were telling jokes; women telling stories, and for 3-4 hours people came together. When HMS took it over, it became Meals on Wheels, a meal got delivered and that was it. Too many seniors are now isolated. The community has taken on the maintenance of the tennis courts. The community will pitch in. We appreciate all your effort and support."
The commissioners went into executive session in the regular meeting to discuss appointment of a county manager. The decision can be read here: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/73532-breaking-news-grant-county-commission-names-county-manager-081122 . Former County Manager Charlene Webb will return as county manager.
Following the executive session where the new county manager was named, Gila Regional Medical Center gave its monthly report.
Interim Chief Financial Officer Paul Rogers presented the June financial results.
[Editor's Note: The report is covered in more detail in https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/73581-grmc-governing-board-met-072822 ]
"We had a total net surplus of $1.532 million," Rogers reported in his final report, as Patrick Banks, former director of finances, has been named the new CFO.
"The hospital had two normalizers, which are otherwise known as items outside our normal operations," Rogers continued. "A physical inventory adjustment of $492,000, which was less than we had on our books and supplemental Covid funding in the amount of $1.351 million, leaving a total net surplus, excluding normalizers, of $673,000."
He noted a drop in inpatient discharges and surgeries in June, consistent with past years. "Seasonality of the business is the reason for the drop. We had slight increases in outpatient and emergency room visits. Actual monthly operations gave us a surplus of $1.532 million. If you compare it to last year, when we had a $13 million surplus, that figure included normalizers—$6.3 million in a PPP loan and a Medicaid reimbursement with a rate adjustment of $4.1 million and also $2.9 million of provider relief funds. Budget projected a loss of $379,000, so it was a good month. Year-to-date, we show a profit of $7 million compared to $13 million last year. In key measures of liquidity, we had a slight increase in net accounts receivable days from 27.8 to 29.1. And we saw improvement with the current ratio of days of cash on hand and the time it takes for us to pay our bills. I'll finish with the listing of all current year capital expenditures, which total $1.9 million."
District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards asked for clarification on the capital expenditures. Rogers said it was a mixture of grants and working capital. The working capital was just over $1 million.
"I just wanted to emphasize that we had the financial capacity to invest in our own hospital this year," Edwards said.
District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne asked if Rogers had a concern about the slightly negative operating revenue.
Rogers said he had no concern, because they are expenditures that are reimbursed based on our cost. "The year we see a loss in our net operating income, we usually pick up in the next year on our cost basis."
Browne also asked about the audit. Rogers said he expects it will go smoothly and on time. "I expect nothing negative. The only issue we are still working on is the pension issue."
Edwards thanked Rogers for his service to Gila Regional.
She also gave a Cancer Center update.
[Editor's Note: Her full comments, which she gave at the GRMC July Governing Board meeting she repeated at this meeting and they can be read in their entirety at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/73535-update-on-status-of-grmc-cancer-center ].
She noted at the commissioner's meeting: "We plan to bring the Cancer Center back in house by mid-September. We are working on bringing in two medical oncologists, as soon as mid-September. During the gap, UNM is working with us to make sure that no existing patients miss appointments or assessments. It takes 2-to-4 weeks to get in for new patients at UNM, but they are helping to fast track GRMC patients into their center in Albuquerque. At no more than a week. Those patients needing radiology will be transferred out until we can solidify the radiological services by Oct. 1. Unlike what happened during the transfer in 2017, we have a plan for our radiology accelerator machine to be maintained, so it is not decommissioned. We hired Karen deGenevieve to come back to provide chemotherapy services at GRMC. But she will not have someone to supervise her until we get a medical oncologist certified. It takes between four and eight weeks to credential a provider. So that is one of the challenges we are addressing. We are also negotiating with Mike Torres to return to Gila Regional to manage the Cancer Center. We have also worked out a plan to pay for transportation for any county resident to get services if they have to leave. This is for both current and new cancer patients. We are still working out the details, but we are absolutely committed to ensure that every cancer patient in Grant County is covered while we move forward to provide treatment."
The next article will get into presentations at the regular meeting.
To view the previous articles please visit https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/73714-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080922-part-1; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/73774-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080922-part-2 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/73792-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080922-part-3 ; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/73811-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080922-part-4 .