Edition 2
Union Negotiations
Over the last few weeks we’ve been meeting with Union representatives to iron out the details of the 2023-2026 contract. This is always a lot of work and at many organizations can be contentious or adversarial. The process requires two sides argue back and forth about high stakes topics and it is easy to imagine how different perspectives could damage relationships or cause emotions to run high. I happy to report from my perspective the process went very smoothly and was accomplished in a collaborative manner. The employer-union relationship is governed by a fairly extensive legal framework which at times limits the amount of information I can share about the process without overstepping but if you are every curious to learn more about our objectives or rationale for decisions, I’d be happy to answer any questions once the contract is approved.
The next steps are to finalize the language and details for the contracts and seek ratification from the Union members and Board of Commissioners. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this work.
Construction
Work is progressing in the basement and we are starting the planning process for the 2nd floor of the St. Martin’s building. As I shared when we started the project, almost every area of the hospital will get to take a turn being inconvenienced. We are planning on how to continue the clinical operations by relocating Wound Care, Sleep Clinic, Surgery Clinic, and endoscopy.
We are working through the options and will share the proposed plan as we finalize the details. As is often the case, we don’t have any perfect solutions, and during the months of the second-floor construction, we will be trying to squeeze too many people into too small of a space. The working plan is to leverage the former OB rooms for these clinical services. This will be challenging for the ED as they have been utilizing those rooms for overflow patients.
Extended Care Survey and EMTALA Follow-Up
My last newsletter mentioned the EC Survey had occurred, and we recently received the Statement of Deficiencies.
We received a lengthy list of opportunities from the Fire Marshall, some of which make you wonder how many deficiencies they would find in my house if they ever walked through. The hot topics include power strips, extension cords, and the BBQ propane tank not being latched to the grill. We also hadn’t printed our most recent emergency management plans and didn’t receive credit for items only available in PolicyStat. Ray Davis, Kim Jacobs, and Ethan Phillips are well on their way to addressing these issues.
On the clinical side, six deficiencies were found, but all were found to be low levels. The EC team is working on the Plan of Correction and process improvement.
On the Hospital side, we had a reinspection following up on a concern related to EMTALA. We were found to be in compliance. Thank you to everyone who completed the training and focused on the transfer reports.
Community Newsletter
Twice a year we publish a newsletter and mail it to every address in our District. This was started as part of our 2019 Strategic Plan and strives to improve communication and awareness about the services we offer, and provide taxpayers with a better understanding of our work. This communication is always important, but particularly if we ever want to go the voters and ask them to support a project in the future. As a Public Hospital District, we get operating support in the form of a levy, but can also fund bigger projects through voter-supported bonds. NVH did this most recently around 2010 to build the south addition (ED & Acute Care). This November Three Rivers Hospital in Brewster is asking their voters to support a $72M new hospital. We do not have any plans to do something similar, but our newsletter helps the public understand and appreciate the work each of you do every day.
Putting together the newsletter is a big investment and it is made possible by our citizen steering group, the Long Range Focus Committee. They meet monthly with a mix of community members, board members, and former employees. Together we draft the articles and finalize the layout and send it to the printer. This week we are bundling and prepping each of the 6500 newsletters.
Happy Fall
I was at a meeting this week, and as part of the introductions, they asked us to share something we enjoy about this time of year. I've never been able to figure out which season I like best, but my two favorite things about fall are the sunshine and the apples. For most of the summer the sun is ubiquitous and at least in my view not always appreciated and turns into something we seek to block, avoid, or limit. As the weather turns, I appreciate the moments of sunshine and seek them out to prepare myself for the scarcity in winter. A rainy day like today makes that even more true.
As far as apples go, I have always valued texture and crispness over flavor and for most of the year the only store-bought apple I will buy is a Granny Smith to ensure I can avoid an old mushy apple. My inlaws have a small orchard and I love fresh apples to get the best balance of texture and sweetness.
I hope you and your families are enjoying this time of year as well.
-John