Hospital Board begins CEO recruitment, transfers funds to EACC

The Adams County Public Hospital District No. 2 Board of Commissioners met to discuss the upcoming EMS levy, CEO recruitment and operations at East Adams Care Center.

During the upcoming Special Election, East Adams County Healthcare is placing a six-year continuation levy for Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Residents of the district will be voting on the replacement levy during the April 26 Special Election for an estimated collection rate of $0.36, per $1,000 of assessed valuation, and a total collection of $255,000.

CEO/CFO Gary Bostrom provided the Board with an update regarding the construction projects at the hospital, and said the completion date is still expected to be at the end of September. Bostrom will remain as CEO/CFO until September, at which point the district will hire a new CEO.

Bostrom said Phase A of the project is at substantial completion, but the elevator and stairwell still needs to be completed. In the spring, the roofing will be complete and then the district can work towards having Life Flight land on the roof, as opposed to landing at the previous landing zone.

Initially during the construction of the roof, Bostrom said the caulking must have been installed during cold temperatures, which has caused the material to fail. The failed caulking led to six leaks within the hospital, and Bostrom said the contracting company will fix the entire roof when the temperatures are better, all at their cost.

The construction projects have now moved onto Phase B, which includes the remodel of hospital rooms and the nurse’s station within the existing hospital. Bostrom said throughout the Phase B section, everything has been gutted, including the windows, and the abatement process is complete.

The next portion of the project includes the ducts and piping installation.

Bostrom informed the Board he has also petitioned the State to stop fire watch. Currently, the district has to employ individuals to conduct a fire watch within the building every half an hour.

This is due to the lack of a fire sprinkler suppression system in the building, with the exception of the newly renovated and constructed portion in Phase A.

The Board moved on to discuss the recruitment for a CEO replacement for Bostrom in September. The Board initially advertised the position in the winter, but did not have the candidate turn out they had hoped for.

They are reopening the opportunity to apply for the position, and have begun advertising locally, before placing the posting in national and statewide health care publications.

The Board unanimously decided to create a committee for the screening and interview process with candidates. Board member Jerry Crossler is serving as the chairman for the committee.

Bostrom also informed the Board about the District’s financials for the final two months. Bostrom explained the District is over budget for both January and February because of write offs from Tech Time accounts.

The total estimated amount of write offs are $400,000 over the course of a few months. Bostrom said the State Auditors could advise the district to move some of the write offs into December, which would also show a loss for that month.

In regards to EACC, Bostrom provided a financial update regarding the facility. In January, the facility recorded a loss of $105,159. After making cuts to staffing and changes to scheduling, EACC cut their losses to $42,000 in February.

Bostrom explained each employee had a cut of eight hours to their schedule, with a few employees moving on to find new employment.

Director of Nursing for EACC Gayla Cerremello explained the Board needs to release a statement to the employees explaining their plans for the facility, in order to reduce the amount of employees who feel the need to find a new job out of uncertainty about the longevity of their position.

The Board members explained the facility will remain open for the remainder of the year, without a doubt.

At the end of December, the Board will then review all the financials and the gains the facility has made within the last year.

With the positive showing of the reduction of loss the facility recorded between January and February, the Board members showed their confidence in the progress the facility is making.

Bostrom said they are utilizing the financial auditors Dingus, Zarecor and Associates (DZA) to provide an audit and cost reports on EACC. The review they complete can assist the District in determining ways to make the facility run more efficiently.

The administration at EACC requested a transfer of funds from the District to EACC in the amount of $190,000.

While the previous transfers came out of the operational fund, this amount of $190,000 was transferred from the building fund as funded depreciation.