The board of directors for the Seminole Hospital District held a brief scheduled meeting Monday in the hospital boardroom. Most notably, during her management update, Chief Clinical Operations Officer Maegen Garner told the board that the hospital had agreed to become an affiliate with the Utah-based Western Governor's University as a primary clinical site for online training.
The WGU is a non-profit online university, founded by 19 state governors in 1997, that offers accredited degree programs using an online competency-based learning model. WGU is composed of four colleges, each offering bachelor's and master's degree programs.
Garner also related that hospital staff will be preparing for a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) survey, which may be conducted at any time, without notice, with the intent of reviewing hospital operations. She told the Board that the last survey at the facility was conducted about three years ago.
Interim CFO Vicky Hopkins offered a brief financial overview that was reflective of the previous month's report, with revenues of $5 million still running approximately 12 percent above budget. Expenses are also running slightly over budget, with the facility continuing to experience some supply chain issues, according to Hopkins.
The Board approved Corey Gotfeld, MD, and Logan Niehuest, MD for appointment to active status in Emergency Medicine, and James Cassuto, MD, for appointment to active status in Radiology. Also credentialed were Richard Campin, MD, for active status in Radiology, and Billie Armstrong, FNP, for active status in Family Practice.
Team member for the month was Denisse Salcido, now with the Rural Health Clinic for three years. A statement released by the district stated that Ms. Salcido "has been an invaluable member of our team providing care to patients in all areas of the clinic. She was a key member of the team to implement COVID drive-thru testing clinics, tirelessly swabbing hundreds of patients per day."
Of Ms. Salcido, the statement continues "she never says no to a request for help from a co-worker and is crosstrained for many different tasks at the clinic. During times of high census, this team member also picked up shifts in the emergency department. She brightens the day of everyone she works with."
