The Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) Board of Trustees (Board) meeting was called to order at noon Monday, April 24, 2023 in the Alliance Room at BBGH. The month’s agenda included an update on the MEDITECH electronic health record transition, the announcement of the BBGH and Box Butte Health Foundation (BBHF) scholarship recipients, and an explanation on the importance of rural hospitals. The consent calendar, March financial report, and credentialing requests were all approved as presented.
Chief Quality Officer Mary Mockerman shared with the Board recent numbers on COVID-19 and influenza admissions during the month of March. There was only one admission for influenza, and three hospital admissions for COVID-19. Additionally, there were three outpatient treatments for COVID-19. Mockerman is pleased with the low case numbers. BBGH is in the window of time for the Joint Commission survey that takes place every two years. The deadline for the survey is July.
Chief Operations Officer Jim Bargen updated the Board on the status of the electronic health record transition to MEDITECH. The transition went live on May 1st. There are teams working to register patients who have appointments in the first week of the go-live. The goal is to smooth the transition that first week and reduce possible check-in wait times.
Chief of Staff Dr. Timothy Narjes did not have any updates to share. He did note the staff is looking forward to working through the MEDITECH transition and having the new system up and running.
In governance and strategy, Chief Executive Officer Lori Mazanec shared with the Board a few takeaway points from the ruralMED Critical Access Hospital (CAH) conference she recently attended. The organization, ruralMED Health Cooperative, is a group of rural hospitals with a focus on sharing the importance of independently operated hospitals in their community. As with many businesses, two major challenges face CAHs including both workforce shortages and financial struggles. Through advocacy at the state level and local grass roots efforts, the goal is to build local community support and engagement, and strengthen the voice of the Nebraska Hospital Association in regard to CAHs. Mazanec wants to share BBGH’s “why” and establish the hospital’s value in the community and Box Butte County.
During new business, Chief Nursing Officer Jordan Colwell presented the recipients of the 2023 – 2024 BBGH and BBHF scholarships. BBGH awarded three graduating high school students and seven current college students with a scholarship. The high school recipients are: Annaka Digmann of Alliance High School, Ami Evans of Hyannis High School, and Emma Roberts of Hemingford High School. The current college student recipients are: Veronica Golden who attends Western Governors University to obtain her master’s degree in Nursing Leadership and Management, Samantha Gonzalez-Garza who attends Western Nebraska Community College and is enrolled in the Pre-Radiologic Technology program, Kelsey Horton who attends Wayne State College studying to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Kaitlyn Johnson who attends Chadron State College and is enrolled in the Pre-Nursing program, Regan Lambert who attends Chadron State College and will continue to pursue her Bachelor of Science for nursing through University of Nebraska Medical Center, Megan Oligmueller who is enrolled in the Regional West Medical Center Radiological Technology program, and Keisha Sanchez who attends Western Governors University to earn her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration Management. BBHF awarded five current college students with a scholarship. They are: Kylie Adams who attends Western Nebraska Community College and is enrolled in the Practical Nursing program, Abigail Burri who attends Western Nebraska Community College and is studying in the Radiology Technician program, Luna Gonzalez who attends University of Nebraska Omaha to obtain her Bachelor of Science in nursing, Jessica Hansen who attends Purdue University Global and is studying to earn her Master of Science in the family nurse practitioner program, and Leyton Schnell who attends Black Hills State University and is studying biology and chemistry for a career in dentistry.
New BBGH employees include: Carlos Armenta, IT Help Desk Tech, Timothy Barnes, IT Help Desk Tech, Moises Garza, Environmental Services Tech, Esme Gilmore, Environmental Services Laundry Tech, and Madison Hiemstra, Cardiac Rehab Nursing Assistant. Also recognized was April Employee of the Month, Michael Stevens, Physical Therapy Assistant.
The next BBGH regular board meeting is Tuesday, May 30 at noon in the Alliance Room. The public is welcome to attend.