By Mary Alice Murphy
Rumors started to fly last week.
Here's the latest from Interim Chief Executive Officer Scott Manis.
The first rumor said that GRMC Chief Financial Officer Richard Stokes was no longer working at Gila Regional Medical Center.
Stokes resigned his position, and an Interim CFO has been named by hospital management team HealthTechS3. The Interim CFO will be Dick Alesch, effective July 14, 2020.
Another rumor hitting the jungle grapevine was that one of the remaining Board of Trustees had resigned.
(Now former) Trustee James Marshall confirmed the rumor by saying: "It's not a rumor." He also told the Beat: "I just think for me personally and professionally, it is best that I step aside at this time."
He also noted that he believes the best course of action would be to return to the model of having a Board of Trustees to "get us back on a path of stability for the organization. It also gains the confidence of the community."
In addition, the hospital entered into a mutual agreement to terminate the contract with the contracting company, which brought a group of Filipina nurses to work at Gila Regional.
Manis said that all contracts for outside services are subject to review "as part of good organizational management and the newly established management agreement with HealthTechS3."
Members of the GRMC Governing Board, made up of all five members of the Grant County Commission, made comments at their last meeting on June 25 that they would like for community members to start thinking about applying to become a part of the GRMC Board of Trustees, as the governing board transitions in the future back to the model set forth in New Mexico statute.
Here are two sections of NM statute pertaining to county-owned hospitals. The first came from https://laws.nmonesource.com/w/nmos/Chapter-3-NMSA-1978#!fragment/undefined/BQCwhgziBcwMYgK4DsDWsBGB7LqC2YATqgJIAm0A5AMwC0ALPQ5QJQA0yWALgKYQCKiHoQCeVSmwg8iCQcLGUJUmSADKWQlwBCYgEoBRADL6AagEEAcgGF9bLmAzQuWOCxZA
3-44-4. County-municipal hospital; board of trustees; powers.
A. A county-municipal hospital shall be governed by a board of trustees consisting of five members who shall be appointed for two-year terms. Three of the trustees shall be appointed by the board of county commissioners and two of the trustees shall be appointed by the governing body of the municipality.
B. Upon approval by both the board of county commissioners and the governing body of the municipality, the board of trustees shall consist of seven members, appointed for terms of two years. Seven-member boards shall consist of four trustees appointed by the board of county commissioners and three trustees appointed by the governing body of the municipality.
C. The board of trustees has complete control of the management of the hospital. Once each year the board of trustees shall submit to the board of county commissioners and the governing body of the municipality:
(1) a report of its management of the hospital; and
(2) a financial statement showing all money received and expended and the purposes for which the money was expended.
History: 1953 Comp., § 14-45-4, enacted by Laws 1965, ch. 300; 1975, ch. 74, § 1.
https://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/2017/chapter-4/article-48b/
Article 48B refers to Hospital Funding.
4-48B-10. Hospital governing boards for county hospitals; members; appointment; terms; powers; bonds.
A. The county commissioners of a county or counties maintaining or operating a county hospital are authorized to appoint a hospital governing board to be composed of either five, seven or nine members. The hospital governing board so appointed shall have the authority to exercise all powers that the county is granted by the Hospital Funding Act for the operation of such hospitals except the powers to issue bonds, call a mill levy election, levy the annual assessments for the mill levy authorized by the Hospital Funding Act and to dispose of real property of the hospital acquired with the proceeds of any bond issue.
B. Members of the hospital governing board shall be appointed by the board of county commissioners for staggered terms of three years or less. Appointments shall be made in such a manner that the terms of not more than one-third of the members, or as near thereto as possible, expire on June 30 of each year. Vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment by the board of county commissioners.
C. The hospital governing board shall select from its membership a president and a secretary. After their appointment, none of the members of the hospital governing board shall be removed except for cause specified in a written charge and after full public hearing on the charge.
D. The hospital governing board shall account annually for the receipt and expenditures of funds received for the operation of the hospital.
E. The county commissioners, by an agreement for the maintenance and operation of a county hospital with another county or counties, another political subdivision, person, association or corporation, may permit the selection of a hospital governing board by the other party to the agreement subject to approval by the county commissioners.
F. All actions taken or purportedly taken or proceedings had or purportedly had by or on behalf of county commissioners with respect to the appointment of or delegation of authority to a hospital governing board, notwithstanding any lack of power, authority or otherwise and notwithstanding any defects and irregularities in the actions or proceedings, are hereby validated, ratified, approved and confirmed. This section shall operate to supply such legislative authority as may be necessary to validate any actions or proceedings by any group acting as a hospital governing board which would have been valid had the provisions of this section been in effect at the time the action or proceedings were taken. This section shall not operate to validate, ratify, approve, confirm or legalize any action or proceeding which has previously been determined in any legal proceeding to be illegal, void or ineffective.
History: 1978 Comp., § 4-48B-10, enacted by Laws 1981, ch. 83, § 10; 1982, ch. 11, § 2.