A pair of staff committees met this past month at Wrangell Medical Center, formed to improve response to patient falls on site and improve emergency preparedness.
At the monthly meeting of its board of trustees on Nov. 19, hospital head Marla Sanger reported the falls committee was formed with representatives of the nursing, physical therapy, quality, and maintenance departments, as well as a community patient advisor.
She said a federal follow-up visit the previous week confirmed WMC has dealt with a problem with its patient wheelchairs. The seatbelts had been found to be inadequate at an earlier inspection, but after some improvement have been deemed adequate.
“They checked them several times,” Sanger said.
The Emergency Medical Response committee met last week in order to brainstorm over WMC’s ability to respond to taxing incidents, such as a natural disaster or disease outbreak. In addition to streamlining response, the committee is responsible for overseeing staff education and procedural drills and maintaining the hospital’s emergency preparedness manual.
On staffing concerns, Sanger said the hospital is still looking to fill some positions.
The hunt for a new doctor continues, after the arrest of Greg Salard last month. One potential candidate was brought to Wrangell,
but was found not to be a good fit for the position.
“We’re back to looking there again,” said Sanger.
The search for a new occupational therapist for WMC’s physical therapy department
also continues. The position would extend the number of rehabilitative services the hospital would be able to provide.
Sanger expressed thanks that
Mary Jo Pullman from Human Resources stepped in to act as chief financial officer
after the recent departure of Dana Strong, crediting her with seeing WMC through its annual audit. The search for filling his position also continues.
The hospital’s drive last month to improve breast cancer screenings was a success,
with 69 mammograms done – up from an average of 20.
“We had a very successful mammo-month in October,” Sanger concluded.
An agreement with InnoVative Capital has also been recently reached. Sanger mentioned that the hospital is in a revenue crunch at the moment, and the deal should reduce the its risk of incurring an ongoing string of expenses.
“It’s a big deal,” she said. However, she explained she could not go into immediate detail about the hospital’s financial situation.
Board president Teri Henson recommended that fellow board members get more information about the situation before discussing the matter at the next meeting.
In other news, the hospital will be hosting its annual Christmas party at the Nolan Center on Dec. 12. While not necessarily a potluck, guests are invited to bring a dish.
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