The Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) Board of Trustees (Board) meeting was called to order at 12:03 p.m. Monday, Feb. 22, in the Alliance Room and via Zoom. Five board members were present. Discussions involved the current status of the COVID-19 vaccine, purchasing new patient monitoring equipment, and a look back on the history of scholarships awarded on behalf of Box Butte General Hospital and Box Butte Health Foundation. The finance report and credentialing requests were approved as presented.
Mary Mockerman, Chief Quality Officer provided an update on the progression of vaccinating the community, and general COVID-19 information to stay well-informed of. BBGH is currently vaccinating priority group 1B, 65+ older. This group has been vaccinated swiftly and is nearly complete, for those that have registered to receive the vaccine. Beginning March 5, BBGH will administer the COVID-19 vaccine to educators, and school administration staff. BBGH staff will safely visit schools to administer the COVID-19 vaccine at their convenience. Dave’s Pharmacy will be vaccinating Hemingford Public School educators and school administration staff. BBGH staff continues to travel to Grant County to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to priority groups residing there. It is important to remember that if an individual did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine during their priority group they are still able to register and remain at top priority. To register to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, visit www.PPHD.org.
If a person has received the Monoclonal antibody therapy, they must wait 90 days to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Research shows that a person is naturally immune from COVID-19 for 90 days after being infected by the virus. Once the 90 days has passed it is safe to be vaccinated. TestNebraska is at a steady decline for administered COVID-19 tests and cases requiring hospitalization are low. BBGH is partnering with Community Table to include informational flyers in lunches. The information included is where and how to get vaccinated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), individuals who have received the COVID-19 vaccine and later come in contact with an individual who tested positive with the virus will not be required to quarantine. Continued mask use, hand hygiene, and social distancing as much as possible are still recommended until a larger percentage of population are vaccinated.
In 2004, BBGH began awarding scholarships to high school students pursuing a career in the healthcare industry. Beginning in 2010, the Box Butte Health Foundation began awarding academic scholarships for students enrolled in a secondary education program seeking a degree in healthcare. Overall, 164 scholarships have been awarded with 25% of the scholarship recipients returning to Alliance as a Box Butte General Hospital employee. To apply for a 2021 academic scholarship, visit www.bbgh.org.
The Board unanimously voted yes to the purchase request for new patient monitoring equipment. The equipment currently being used no longer offers replacement parts from the manufacturer. The purchase of new patient monitoring equipment will continue to provide BBGH staff with the tools needed to provide great care to the community.
New BBGH employees introduced include John Ward, Maintenance Tech, Sabrina Gonzalez, LPN, Chart Auditor, and Nioka Keim, Surgery Unit Clerk. Staff recognition includes Jasmine Clarke, MT Laboratory, 2020 Employee of the Year; Jessica Hansen, RN- Surgery Staff Nurse, February Employee of the Month; Chelsea Thompson, appointed Box Butte Health Foundation Director; Sue Hoff, RN- Staff Nurse, received Master of Science in Nursing.
The next BBGH regular board meeting is Monday, March 29 at noon in the Alliance Room. In the interest of room size limitations, the public is welcome to attend via Zoom.