Grant County Commission hears reports and updates at work session 111621 and regular session 111821, part 7
[Editor's Note: This is the seventh of several articles on the Grant County Commission work session on Nov. 16 and the regular meeting Nov. 18, 2021. This article covers the Gila Regional Medical Center monthly report at the regular meeting.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

The first presentation of the Grant County Commission work session on Nov. 16, 2021, which covered the redistricting of the commission maps can be read at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68669-grant-county-commission-hears-first-of-five-presentations-at-work-session-111621-part-1. The following link covers the update on the Grant County Outdoor Recreation and Trails Master Plan: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68672-grant-county-commission-hears-second-of-five-presentations-at-work-session-111621-part-2 . The third link leads to the discussion of a proposed disc golf course on state trust land: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68699-grant-county-commission-hears-third-of-five-presentations-at-work-session-111621-part-3 . The fourth link covers a presentation from Air Methods: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68748-grant-county-commission-hears-fourth-of-five-presentations-at-work-session-111621-part-4. The fifth and final presentation discussed a proposal for a new HMS Clinic in Mimbres: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68766-grant-county-commission-hears-fifth-presentation-at-work-session-111621-part-5 The sixth article addressed county reports at the work session: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68795-grant-county-commission-hears-reports-and-updates-at-work-session-111621-and-regular-session-111821-part-6

At the regular meeting on Nov. 18, 2021, the first report came from Gila Regional Medical Center Interim Chief Executive Officer Scott Manis. He began by thanking the commissioners and Grant County for welcoming him when he first came and when he returned. "This will be my last Commission meeting. I thank you for allowing us to help you turn your hospital around. On Nov. 29, your new GRMC CEO Kathleen Kahill will arrive. "We will overlap for a week or so. I know the hospital will be in good hands with her. We continue to face challenges with Covid, and it is still challenging to keep staffing up to normal numbers. We will not be able to open the ICU (intensive care unit) by Dec. 1, as we had hoped, because finding nurses is challenging. We expect a few nursing graduates from Western New Mexico University to join us, but it's a long process for them to get ramped up. We continue to watch the situation across the state."

He noted that hospitals at UNM (University of New Mexico), Presbyterian, San Juan County and Alamogordo had had to go to crisis standards of care. [Editor's Note: The American Nursing Association gives definitions of the phrase at the end of this article: https://www.nursingworld.org/~496044/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/work-environment/health--safety/coronavirus/crisis-standards-of-care.pdf. In short, crisis standards of care may cause health care workers to have to ration care by deciding who is most likely to survive through use of certain protocols and medical equipment, such as ventilators.]

Manis said that because of lack of space in other regional hospitals, "it was a backlash for us not being able to transfer patients to other facilities. Patients are staying longer in the ER than usual. Other hospitals are full, so we can't offload anyone. We will address the issue with a public letter from the medical community." [Editor's Note: You can read it at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68627-urgent-message-to-our-community-from-your-community-healthcare-providers]

He said that other initiatives, such as short videos, will be presented around the community. "We came together as a community collaborative to create these to combat the spread of Covid. We encourage the community members to wear masks, get vaccinated and do not participate in large gatherings."

Manis said the hospital applied for USDA funding for $1 million plus the hospital match for medical equipment and ambulances. "We hope to hear on this in the near future that the funding is coming through."

"We also sent out requests for proposals (RFPs) to five different entities for cancer services at our Cancer Center," Manis said. "The proposals are due by Dec. 1. We will evaluate them and hope to have an announcement by the end of January, so we can go full forward on the Cancer Center transition, if there will be one. If there is a transition, we plan on completing it by June for a smooth transition from the existing contract with UNM Cancer Center, which expires in June."

He noted that his staff has discussed the need for grace and support for the overworked nursing and physicians. "Commissioner (Alicia) Edwards (District 3) got a group of her closest friends, about 40 of them, to bring cookies and snacks to the night shift. We have also seen a lot of thank yous from patients. We began to see jealousy from the day shift. I tell them they can work the night shift."

Manis also talked about the signs that had mysteriously appeared on the hospital grounds. "It turns out the Sierra and Flores families put them out to support a family member who was in the hospital and to say thank you to the staff. It was unexpected and very nice."

He then showed two short videos, created by SkyWest Media in collaboration with the county, the school district, and the community.

Edwards said she thought it was appropriate to assure the community that the hospital has a robust plan in place for the Cancer Center transition if there is a change. "We want to assure everyone that if there is a change, it will not be the disastrous change like last time."

"Yes," Manis agreed. "The current UNM contract expires in the summer. So, this RFP and the decision by the end of January will give us time to do a smooth transition, if required."

District 1 Commissioner and Chair Chris Ponce said the turnaround with HealthTechS3 has been a pleasant experience. "Our hospital is important to the community."

"Having been part of the community for many months," Manis said, "I will continue to be cheerleading on the sidelines. I would love to have a scope of what the hospital with be in 1-3 years."

District 2 Commissioner Javier "Harvey" Salas also expressed his thanks, with an echo from District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings.

GRMC Interim Chief Financial Officer Greg Brickner said he would give a brief overview of the September financial report, with the Governing Board [made up of the five commissioners] to hear the October report at the board meeting Thursday afternoon. "Our case mix index went up, with the emergency department being a lot busier, about 25 percent, than over the past year. The numbers were similar to 2019. Our number of outpatients is also up. We had a loss in September of about $400,000, due to adjustments in contract labor, as we have been recruiting nurses and staff. We were $168,000 in the black year-to-date, just shy of $3 million better than last year at this time."

To a question from Edwards, Brickner said the ER numbers were back to 2019 levels, but not in the numbers of staff members. "We will hire and pay our nurses well."

Manis noted that "sometimes, patients are boarding in the ER for 1-3 days because there is nowhere downstream to other facilities or if it is not appropriate to put them in beds upstairs. It also limits our number of beds with fewer staff members."

Brickner announced a 50 percent sale for the holidays. "If a former patient has an account balance more than six months old, we will clear it up with a 50 percent payment. Instead of buying your family member a toaster, pay their account balance."

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