While the Wrangell Medical Center is currently in a transitional phase, having lost 8 of the 9 members of the WMC Board of Directors, and with the dismissal of former CEO Noel Rea, the day-to-day operation of the hospital is running at full-speed-ahead under interim CEO Olinda White.
White, who took over as CEO after the June 20 firing of Rea, said maintaining excellent patient care, and working on staffing and training issues are at the forefront of her mind.
“We’re really busy right now trying to center everything we do on patient care, quality and safety,” White said. “We’re trying to get back to the basics and do them well.”
According to White, maintaining the staffing levels she currently has to work with is her top priority.
“I’m trying to keep the staff that we have here so that we have a staff,” she added. “I’m meeting with them and looking at concerns about the day-to-day stuff we do.”
A number of professional consultants from outside the borough have been at the hospital in the last week as well to oversee a number of issues – including the operation of the hospital’s lab, and a conversion of medical records to electronic form.
“We have a pathologist from Washington State in right now to look at the way it is being run,” White said. “He said everything was great in the lab, but also wanted me to understand how important Desi Acuna, our lab manager is to our hospital. I told him I know exactly how important she is to us.”
Acuna has managed the lab at WMC since August 2010.
The conversion of patient records to digital, versus paper format, is causing a headache for White and staff at the hospital – but is an absolute requirement under Federal guidelines.
A pair of consultants from the east coast is in the borough to assist in the transition.
“We have two people here to help us with the ability to convert the records, which will also allow our facility’s manager Brian Smith to take his readings and enter them directly into a computer system, which will save time,” White said. “They are traveling through the whole state right now visiting all the facilities that have this new software.”
The new electronic records system will go live on July 23.
An Alaska Department of Health and Social Services facility surveyor was also in Wrangell last week to investigate a pending complaint against the facility. Because of privacy laws, White could not discuss the nature of the complaint.
And since White is currently filling not only the CEO, but also the CFO position at the hospital, she has been actively seeking help from a number of different assets in city government and the healthcare community of Southeast Alaska.
“I have Tim (Rooney) at the city, I have Mark Walker from Alaska Island Community Services, as well as administrators in Juneau, Ketchikan and Petersburg that are at my beck and call if I need them or have questions,” White said.
And when it comes to the ultimate question – is patient care suffering at WMC? – White said her staff is making sure that never becomes an issue.
“Patient care is not suffering at all right now because I have the support of the staff,” White added. “The staff seems calmer and they seem happier than ever. I’ve had a lot of them come to me and say, ‘We are so glad you’re here. You really care.”
Increasing the number of nurses on staff is also on White’s to-do list.
“The hospital currently has four traveling nurses on duty, with a candidate for a full-time nursing position visiting the borough for interviews and to see the lifestyle here,” White said. “Two of our travelers have already expressed an interest in having their contracts renewed and staying here.”
White, who has worked at WMC since 1991, plans on retiring at the end of 2012.
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