[Editor's Note: This is part of a series of articles on the Grant County Commission work session of Feb. 8, 2022, and the regular meeting on Feb. 10, 2022. This report from the work session begins with the reports heard at the regular meeting.]
By Mary Alice Murphy
After the Grant County Commission discussed at the regular meeting on Feb. 10. 2022, and approved the ordinance on the industrial revenue bond issuance for the Great Divide Wind Farm, the following agenda item was public input.
Misty Pugmire, executive director of El Grito Inc., the Head Start program in Silver City, and who will also serve as the manager of the childcare facility owned by Grant County, said she wanted to give an update on the renovations at the childcare facility. "I want to commend your team. Jason Lockett (county facilities and ground maintenance superintendent) and his workers have done a phenomenal job. They have bent over backwards to get everything ready to open again. We will start up with staff on Monday (Feb. 14, 2022). The licensing department will not check until we set up a classroom. We got a 90-day grant, with which we purchased equipment. We received a Freeport-McMoRan Foundation grant to redo the infant playground. I just started working with the state and got a large recovery grant. We also have landscaping thanks to your crew for getting it done. They put in new toilets throughout the facility. We have 24 children pre-registered, and the director has been working on the recruitment since before Christmas. We were able to flip a couple of grants to help fund the facility. It's coming together and I want to thank you on behalf of the families."
A man, named Dennis, whose last name the Beat did not understand, asked about processes used for property taxes and to address veteran exemptions. "I am a disabled veteran and I have a concern. I couldn't find any reason for my having two tax liabilities on a piece of property. I'm wondering how many buildings are being assessed in addition to the property on which it stands. If I refuse to pay both, I will get penalties and you will put a lien on the property. It seems strange to put a lien on a part of the property that is an enclosed structure on the paid-up part at the same address. I have a mortgage which pays the tax with my escrow, but with a separate bill, it makes it harder. I can't find anywhere why they are separate bills. Having that split also get me two solid-waste bills. I have property also in Hidalgo County and I do my solid waste there because it's cheaper."
Because it was public input, no one responded.
Next was the Gila Regional Medical Center report from then-Chief Executive Officer Kathleen Cahill. [Editor's Note: See recent articles on her resignation at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/70408-grmc-to-have-new-interim-ceo-cahill-has-resigned and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/70468-healthtech-s3-clarifies-departure-of-grmc-ceo .
"Census at Gila Regional remains strong," Cahill said. "We are seeing fewer Covid cases and a drop in the length of stay. Most of those coming in with Covid are less acute. Admissions are looking more like pre-Covid numbers. We are seeing more pediatric cases but seeing fewer births. For the first time in Gila Regional history, deaths have outpaced births over the past 18 months. Our admissions are increasing, not with Covid, but with higher acuity, so the length of stay is longer. The ER is busy, and it was extremely busy during the peak in Covid when the ER visits were 30-40 percent higher over what we saw pre-Covid. Surgery has bounced back nicely. However, we had mechanical problems that had to cause rescheduling, but we caught up by the end of the month. Our plant maintenance department, kudos to Dexter Jones and his team who addressed the mechanical problems. Jeff Rushing, Operating Room director, worked to come up with a new block schedule. It was real teamwork with Dr. (Brian) Robinson, Dr. (Michelle) Diaz and the OR team. We are making sure the mechanical problems won't occur again. Within the past couple of weeks, we received word from CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) that Gila Regional received a 4-star rating. There are no 5-star hospitals in New Mexico, and only a handful of 4-star hospitals. Gila Regional is the only rural hospital in the state to get the 4-star rating. The ratings are based on quality and communication with nurses for 4-star rating, response of staff 5-star, communication with doctors 5-star, discharges 5-star, housekeeping 4-star, recommendation of the hospital 5-star, quietness 2-star. We need to work on that one. Our equipment and physical plant were 2-star, but we're aware of that. We have a plan we are putting together to replace equipment. We are proud of our 4-star rating. It validates what we felt about the hospital. We had the rural health clinic reaccreditation survey this week and had an exceptional survey. One of the cleanest I've seen. Our clinic received only three minor deficiencies, with one being a rip in a vinyl chair. We have already ordered a new one. One aide did not have two TB tests annually. She had taken the second, but it was not yet in her personnel file. Dr. (John) Stanley and Dana Andazola are reflections of the excellent quality of care in our Gila Regional ancillary services. We continue in the 90-day joint commission survey window. It is done every three years. We are busy looking at policies, systems and procedures. We've done a deep dive and built them all up to excellent. We have built collaboration among the departments. Our goal is a clean joint commission survey. We have had notice that the survey is delayed because it is no longer virtual but will be in person. We feel confident we will be ready for the survey."
Cahill also presented the report from the Interim Chief Financial Officer Greg Brickner who was on a conference call.
"Probably what is of the most interest is that the hospital is running above budget for the fiscal year," Cahill said. "We are $244,000 above budget, where last year we had a $3.17 million loss. We are setting the hospital on a good financial foundation. The case mix index shows an increase in census and acuity. The pandemic has been positive, but the expenses go up as well. Mr. Brickner's team has done an extra good job managing expenses. We've had a spike in pediatric cases over the past two months."
She noted that deaths do not count as a regular discharge, "so it looks like admissions are more than discharges. The OR trends are fairly stable, and the ER trends remain very high. Considering we're the only big hospital in the area, we get a lot of patients from southeastern Arizona to our ER, everywhere from Safford to Willcox and Douglas. We have had about a 6 percent growth in outpatient volumes and significant growth in the emergency department. Length of stay has grown. We want to stay at about 2.2 days, but it has grown to 3.5 days due to the acuity of the cases. We are at 2.46 on the financial strength index, compared to last year at 1.7, and we are at 1.49 on the case mix index, which was at 1.03 pre-pandemic."
The next article will address elected officials reports and then into the review of the regular meeting agenda.
To read previous articles in this series, please visit these links: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/70255-grant-county-commission-work-session-held-020822-part-1 ;
https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/70367-grant-county-commission-work-session-held-020822-part-2; and
https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/70400-grant-county-commission-work-session-held-020822-part-3 .