Commission meets with Hospital Board

The three Cedar County commissioners, Presiding Commissioner Marlon Collins, Southern Commissioner John Fox and Northern Commissioner Don Boultinghouse along with County Clerk Peggy Kenney met with the Cedar County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees at their regular meeting on Monday, Oct. 17.

Present were Hospital CEO Jana Witt, CNO Drew Alexander, CFO Carla Gilbert, Board Secretary Terri Heitz, Board Attorney Bryan Breckenridge and Board Members Judy Renn, Jan Neale, Johnny Walker, Julia Philips and Carla Griffin.

Community Service Manager of the Health Department Susan Hall of County Health gave a Community Health Services presentation. She mentioned efforts to encourage drinking more water and less  soda pop. She said a Route 44 sized drink contained the equivalent of 35 teaspoons of sugar.

She also said that in the past year 10 pets were euthanized and had their heads cut off as a way to determine if they had rabies. Animals can be put up for ten days to see if they developed symptoms of the disease, but the families of the victims of these pets’ bites didn’t want to wait. The pets were destroyed because they had not been immunized. None of them had rabies.

Neale asked if County Health had the papilloma vaccine. She was told it was available.

Gilbert reported that the hospital ‘s cash on hand was very good compared to other critical access hospitals. She said that Cedar County Memorial Hospital has cash on hand that could be used to sustain business operations for 209 days.

The board reviewed and approved various policy changes.

Alexander said the hospital was very close to being stroke and stemi certified. He said he thought the hospital’s nursing shortage was about to be taken care of and mentioned that all the Lifestat emergency room doctors are ER Board Certified.

Jana said the hospital’s fundraiser is a dinner and movie night and is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 10. She also said that the Community Health Assessments were due by the end of the month.

Boultinghouse asked a question that he had raised at the 2015 meeting. He asked if there was still a concern with the Citizens Memorial Ambulance Service favoring CMH over CCMH. Alexander said he had talked to CMH Director of Ambulances Neal Taylor and was told that CCMH had everything they deserved and needed and nothing was going to change.

The commissioners said they believed it would be better for the county if Cedar County Memorial had the emergency service.

Alexander said he would go to the next ambulance board meeting and request a copy of the contract.

The board moved to go into executive session. The commissioners left.