East Washingtonian - Your Hometown News Source

Here is the latest news from Garfield County Hospital District Board of Commissioners Special Meeting held on Tuesday, September 1, 2020.

Two Board members and the Co-CEOs participated in an on-site visit with the architect from Blue Room Architect along with mechanical and electrical engineers from MW Engineering to perform a preliminary design review for the CT/HVAC electrical infrastructure project on Thursday, September 17, 2020.

The purpose of this meeting was to conduct a walk-through and discuss the timelines for the plans. We have started the application process for Department of Health approval and plan to have that finished by the end of the year so that we can open for construction bidding in January. We hope to begin breaking ground on the project in March of 2021. We want to stress that this project is being completely funded through grant revenue and will not use any levy funds or district revenues.

An annual Department of Health Survey was performed to evaluate the Pomeroy Medical Clinic’s vaccine program. We are proud to announce that we passed without a single tag or a recommendation for improvement! The surveyor was so impressed with the results that an extension was given for the next survey to be scheduled in the fall of 2022.

The addition of the new Family Practitioner, Chris Iacobelli, M.D., has given an opportunity for new patients to the Clinic as well as increased visits of established patients. He joined our exceptional team of physicians, Andrew Park, M.D., Sonny Talbot, PA-C, Courtney Travis, ARNP, and Josh Mayfield, PA-C.

Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) recently teamed up with several hospital facilities to implement a data analytic reporting program called PNWpop. This will allow the hospital administration to submit information to WSHA’s database and in return, they offer a free service to hospitals with centralized monthly reporting for state and nationwide comparisons. The hospital also joined a research collaborative with WSU and Northwest Health Education Research Outcomes Network. The Network has received a grant to study the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients. The hospital also plans to participate in a future research collaborative for behavioral health in rural communities.

A temporary courier position for COVID lab runs/screener has been recently created and filled due to the demand of increased COVID-19 testing. This position’s salary is covered through the grant funding received from Health & Human Services (HHS) as part of the CARES Act.

The administrative staff continues to work with Allevant’s Digital Marketing team to create materials for the website and promote transitional care rehab. Initial training for nursing staff was completed and the second set of training will begin soon.

We look forward to bringing you updates of District latest news as they happen and are honored to offer the best quality care for our community. Thank you for allowing us to serve you!