September meeting likely for hospital district strategic plan review

The strategic planning process for Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2 is nearly complete, according to a report presented at the Aug. 25 board meeting.

Hospital district board chairman Kirk Danekas said a committee was charged with reviewing and possibly integrating public input submitted during a comment period.

The committee met three times in August. “They have taken the strategic plan a part and reassembled it, and that will be presented to the board in the near future,” Danekas said.

He added that a special board meeting will likely be scheduled in September to review the document.

“We’ve spent a lot of time, like three hours each day, going through that. I think we’ve come up with a little better piece of work.”

Harriet Lynch, a member of the community who served on the committee, added, “I think it’s important for our board to know that there are 22 different community voices that were heard with the public comment. Our committee was charged with looking at all that comment and sifting it, digesting it and trying to get that into the direction of the strategic plan.

“As the process got going it became pretty evident that we felt that a different approach, a different focus to the entire plan might be very necessary.”

The result was an alternate plan that will be presented to the hospital board.

“We met for eight hours over different meetings. Eric (Walker) was very earnest and diligent in his research. The amount of time that he put into preparing what become a second, alternate plan I’m sure can only be stated as a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” Lynch said.

“We had many, many more meetings between us to present that plan to the committee. I know the last time we met it was stated that we would not be able to pass that until everyone on the committee and the board members have a chance to see the revisions,” she continued. “I want to say that as revisions were made to the alternate plan, we are all aware of those and that board members now also have that to read over.”

Community members present at the board meeting questioned whether the alternate plan would be available on the district’s website as well as if both plans – including changes and alterations – would be available for public review prior to adoption.

Danekas did not offer a clear answer to either inquiry.

Before the close of the meeting, Lynch said, “I would ask that there be a way for both strategic plans to be reviewed by not just the board members but by the community as well.”