October 11, 2024 |
Photo – Memorial Hospital of Carbon County – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Carbon County Higher Education Center hosted a hospital district candidate forum earlier this week.
In August, the board of county commissioners decided to let voters decide the fate of a taxpayer-funded hospital district by allowing the issue to be added to the November general election ballot. The Board of Trustees at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County told commissioners that the hospital district is needed to keep the medical facility in business.
Residents of Rawlins, Sinclair, Hanna, and nearby unincorporated areas of Carbon County will vote “yea” nor “nay” next month on a three-mill property tax levy. If approved, the tax money raised will pay for building maintenance and equipment purchases at Memorial Hospital. The hospital district is predicted to bring in an additional $1.5 million a year to the medical center.
Voters also will choose two four-year and three two-year candidates to run the new hospital district, should it pass.
On Tuesday, October 8th, the Carbon County Higher Education Center hosted a public forum for the hospital board candidates.
Five of the eight candidates turned out for the event.
Current Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees members Rob Waeckerlin and Mark Kostovny are running against Rawlins physician Dr. Stephanie Chui and office manager Vanessa Peterson for a four-year seat on the proposed hospital district.
Current Memorial Hospital board members Jerry Steele and Garry Goergen are running against restaurant owner and search-and-rescue volunteer Mike Lujan and Deputy Fire Warden David Gier for the three open two-year spots on the proposed hospital district.
Waeckerlin, Kostovny, Dr. Chui, and Petersen were present at Tuesday’s candidate forum. Lujan was the only two-year candidate to attend the event.
Residents were asked to submit questions for the candidates on the Carbon County Higher Education Center website. Before Tuesday’s hospital district candidate forum, Executive Director Jennifer Moore said she received over 40 questions, the most of any of the candidate forums the higher education center has held.
David Gier was unable to attend the event in person. Moore read a letter from Gier, detailing the candidate’s qualifications and why he wants to be on the proposed hospital district board.
After Gier’s letter, Moore asked the first question. Each candidate was given two minutes to answer, with an additional minute for rebuttals or follow up remarks.
Moore said residents believe that Memorial Hospital of Carbon County is poorly managed, not poorly funded. The higher education executive director asked the candidates how they plan to turn the hospital around.
Dr. Chui said she agrees that Memorial Hospital is mismanaged and that she does not support the creation of a hospital district. The physician said the additional taxpayer funding won’t fix the problems faced by the Rawlins medical center, such as promoting staff to positions they are unqualified to hold.
Petersen also blamed hospital leadership for the financial troubles of the medical facility, adding that a new way of thinking is needed to keep Memorial Hospital competitive in the ever-changing healthcare industry.
Memorial Hospital board member Kostovny explained that the board is only responsible for choosing a chief executive officer. The CEO is tasked with hiring the correct people to fill other positions at the hospital.
Kostovny acknowledged that the board of trustees may not have chosen the most qualified CEOs in the past. However, the board member said it is difficult to find people willing to work in Carbon County for the wages the hospital is able to offer.
Lujan said the proposed hospital district board must be more involved in how the facility is managed. The search and rescue volunteer added that a dedicated grant writer may be able to find additional funding opportunities for both staff and equipment.
Current board member Waeckerlin pointed to a computer system changeover in September of 2022 as a major factor in the hospital’s financial troubles.
Waeckerlin, who also owns a pharmacy in Saratoga, said the errors have been fixed and a new billing company is successfully collecting outstanding patient bills.
When given an opportunity for follow-up comments, Dr. Chui said she personally had trouble paying her medical bill. The physician added that due to inaccurate billing information, Memorial Hospital is unfairly sending patients’ bills to collection agencies before informing the patients that they owe money.
Next, Executive Director Moore asked the candidates where the proposed $1.5 million generated annually by the hospital district should be spent.
Office Manager Petersen said Memorial Hospital is heavily indebted to its suppliers and vendors. Petersen said she fears that the hospital district funding will be used to pay off old debt rather than for building maintenance and new medical equipment.
Current board member Kostovny said under the hospital district, Memorial Hospital can apply for loans to pay off old debt.
Kostovny promised that the mill levy will be used for its intended purpose of maintaining the Memorial Hospital building and purchasing medical equipment.
Lujan said he lacks the familiarity with the hospital’s finances that the current board of trustees has. If elected, Lujan promised to listen to the community and make improvements based on that feedback.
Like his fellow board member, Waeckerlin said the mill levy must go to building maintenance. The Memorial Hospital building was constructed in 1972. Waeckerlin said over $1 million a year is spent keeping the 52-year-old facility operational. The additional revenue generated by the proposed hospital district will allow Memorial Hospital to spend that money in other areas.
Dr. Chui agreed with Petersen that the medical center is likely to use the property tax levy to pay old debt. The physician added that the hospital district board must be more involved in the day-to-day operations of the facility than the current board of trustees.
The third question asked each candidate how they plan to be more open and honest with the public about the board’s decisions.
Kostovny said despite the wishes of previous board members, he is always available to discuss the hospital. He added that the board is aware of the problems facing the medical facility and is working to fix them.
Kostovny also said before February of 2020, Memorial Hospital had a $6 million surplus. However, a severe water leak and the onset of COVID drained the medical facility’s accounts. Kostovny said the Rawlins hospital spent $4 million on traveling nurses during the COVID pandemic.
Lujan said he believes that billing issues have caused a lot of the public’s negative perception about Memorial Hospital. The search and rescue volunteer said he will ensure that patients receive quality care for a reasonable price and are billed accurately afterwards.
Waeckerlin disagreed that the current board of trustees aren’t being transparent enough. The pharmacist encouraged the public to bring their comments and concerns to his attention.
Dr. Chui said people are under the impression that local nurses were turned away in favor of more expensive traveling nurses. The physician said even if that’s not true, perception is reality. Dr. Chui said the hospital district board members must meet with the public more often.
Petersen said people may not know they are able to speak directly to the current board members. The office manager said rumors can make working at Memorial Hospital unpleasant.
Executive Director Moore asked the candidates if the culture at Memorial Hospital leads to high employee turnover and how they plan to attract and retain staff.
Lujan said the medical facility must find people willing to become emotionally invested in the success of Memorial Hospital and that management must support those employees.
Lujan added that Memorial Hospital staff are uncertain about the future of the facility, which may contribute to a poor working environment.
Waeckerlin stressed the importance of a healthy culture in any workplace. The board of trustees member said Memorial Hospital has not had a complaint about its level of care of two years. As for recruiting and retaining staff, Waeckerlin said finding qualified candidates who want to work and live in Carbon County is difficult.
Dr. Chui pointed to a negative comment made by a Memorial Hospital employee several years ago. The physician said that type of negativity creates a toxic work environment and does not encourage people to stay. Dr. Chui agreed that recruiting qualified staff to Rawlins is challenging and suggested offering better training for employees who wish to be contribute more to the organization.
Petersen said when she started working in a Memorial Hospital clinic, she personally saw the effects rumors and negativity have on the staff. The office manager also stressed the importance of training to improve morale and increase employee retention.
Kostovny said he uses Memorial Hospital for his medical care. If he sees a problem, Kostovny said he brings it to the CEO’s attention.
Kostovny also said promoting from within the organization demonstrates to employees that they are valued by the hospital administration.
The following question focused on negative comments made by current board of trustees members about Memorial Hospital and the potential conflict of interest that may occur because Dr. Chui and Petersen work in the private medical field.
Waeckerlin and Kostovny acknowledged that they have made disparaging comments about the Rawlins hospital, saying they were pointing out obvious problems, such as billing.
Both Dr. Chui and Petersen said they don’t see Memorial Hospital as competition. As members of the healthcare field, Dr. Chui’s private clinic and the hospital must work together to ensure the best patient care.
Lujan said the negative perception of Memorial Hospital is why he wants to serve on the proposed hospital district board. The search and rescue volunteer said he would rather try to fix the issues with the medical facility instead of simply complaining about them.
The candidates were then asked if they supported selling Memorial Hospital to a larger organization, such as Banner Health, which runs the Casper hospital, or UCHealth, which operates clinics in Cheyenne.
Dr. Chui said that partnering with a healthcare agency experienced in rural operations might be the best solution for Memorial Hospital.
Peterson agreed that selling MHCC to a more successful healthcare organization may be the only option to ensure the Rawlins facility remains in business.
Kotsovny said the current board of trustees recently asked outside providers to submit bids to take over Memorial Hospital. The board member said neither Banner Health nor UCHealth expressed any interest.
Lujan said he supports selling Memorial Hospital if it ensures that Carbon County residents continue to receive the same level of care.
Waeckerlin said mergers must be done carefully. The board of trustees member said he does not support selling Memorial Hospital to an organization that will change the fundamental nature of the Rawlins facility.
Voters in Rawlins, Sinclair, and Hanna will select five of the eight candidates to manage the proposed hospital district during the November 5th general election. If the healthcare district is approved by voters, tax revenue won’t begin arriving at Memorial Hospital for roughly 18 months. Until then, both Waeckerlin and Kostovny said Interim CEO Gerald Parton is working to make the medical facility profitable once again.
