The Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 12 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22 in the Alliance Room at BBGH. The month’s agenda included a recap of the inaugural Patient and Family Advisory Council meeting, the current state of COVID-19, and an update from Chief of Staff Dr. Narjes. The consent calendar, December financial report and credentialing requests were all approved as presented.
Quality and Safety updates included the current state of COVID-19 vaccinations, home testing, and treatment. Chief Quality Officer Mary Mockerman shared that an individual who has received two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or 1 dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are considered to be fully vaccinated. Receiving a booster dose from either manufacturer changes an individual’s vaccination status to up-to-date. Currently, less than 50% of the population of Box Butte County is vaccinated. On March 28th, temperature screening will transition from employees taking patient’s temperatures, to a kiosk that reads the patient’s temperature. Medical staff is studying the long-term effects of COVID-19 to find similarities. This will aid in understanding what to look for in patients who have recovered from a positive diagnosis.
Chief of Staff Dr. Narjes provided the Board with an update. His report included that strep, influenza, and RSV remain present in the community. Staff is still treating patients with a positive diagnosis of one or multiple symptoms of those illnesses.
Patient Experience Ambassador Dede DeVeny informed the Board of the inaugural Patient and Family Advisory Council meeting. The council comprises of four community members and three BBGH employees. The council’s primary focus is to collaborate with community members to improve the overall patient experience at BBGH.
New BBGH employees include: Martina Jordan, Patient Registration Clerk, Jonnie Ash, Nurse Aide/Ward Clerk, Sharon Oetting, RN, Staff Nurse, Ryan Ackerman, PTA, Rehab Aide, and Christy Line, OT, Occupational Therapist. Also recognized was February Employee of the Month Cassidy Hoffman, RN, Occupational Health Nurse, and Kristin Ferguson, PA-C for completing her certification of Emergency Nurse Practitioner.
The next BBGH regular board meeting is Monday, March 28th at noon in the Alliance Room. The public is welcome to attend.