The Box Butte General Hospital Board of Trustees held their monthly meeting Monday at noon instead of the regular 7 p.m. in order to have a quorum to conduct business. Secretary Treasurer Ted Bohlen chaired the noon meeting due to the excused absence of David Briggs.

A large item on the agenda included a request for the Trustees to sign a $408,000 contract with Healthland, the health information system vendor for the hospital. The contract entails migrating to Healthland’s new Centriq platform. Due at the time of signing is $40,000, with the remainder to be paid in stages as the project progresses. COO/CIO Jim Parks explained that the reason the hospital has to upgrade is the Affordable Care Act and its provisions to comply with Stage II Meaningful Use requirements. The hospital has been operating on the financial system installed by Healthland since 1995, and on the clinical system the past seven years. Mr. Parks said he and Clinical IT Informationist Nancy Ross researched other top vendors in the hospital market, and found it would be a minimum investment of $1-million to go with a vendor other than Healthland. Efforts by Ms. Ross and CFO Tracy Jatczak have resulted in the hospital being essentially reimbursed for the upgrade by certifying Medicaid Meaningful Use of the hospital’s electronic health records. Doing so means the Medicaid system will pay BBGH $538,500, of which $259,000 has already been received. Another $215,000 will be paid next year, with the remaining $54,000 the year following. The board unanimously approved the contract.

Mr. Parks also presented a PowerPoint updating the Trustees on the new addition plans, as developed so far (see illustrations at page bottom). One difference from previous renderings is changing the main staircase from a straight line to one where it turns 90 degrees halfway down its length. Stressed again was how the new structure and its orientation reduces the number of public entrances to the facility to three (ED entrance; main entrance and clinic building – Medical Arts Plaza – entrance). The current Rehab and Wellness Center in the back of the building remains the same. He pointed out some of the details of the project, including the fact that the canopies over the main and clinic building entrances aren’t connected to the building. That is due to new building codes requiring canopies attached to a building having fire sprinkler systems installed. While the outside aspects of the project are pretty much completed, inside design is still being reviewed and revised, with at least one to two more meetings with architects envisioned before finalization. It was also mentioned the hospital plans to have mockup rooms (e.g. patient care room, OR room) built at the former ALCO building so staff can actually use a room and experience it prior to actual construction. The board had several questions. One was if remodeling the old patient care unit space for other use was part of the new project budget. Mr. Parks said it wasn’t; explaining remodeling of those rooms would be done in-house and at minimum costs. Ground breaking could begin as soon as June or July of this year, he concluded.

The board addressed the following agenda items.

The board recognized Austin Sheldon, PT, DPT, as January’s Employee of the Month. Also recognized was Timothy Narjes, MD, as the Provider of Choice, fourth quarter 2012. Employees were introduced, including new Greater Nebraska Medical & Surgical Services providers Vic Fattig, MD; Terri Bowland, DO; and Kathy Barth, PA-C. Also introduced were Erik Ilg, RN, Emergency Department; Kate Brummer, OT, Rehab & Wellness Center; and Elizabeth Premberton, Cook Assistant, Dietary.

After unanimously approving the consent calendar, the board was presented the monthly Quality Management and Safety Report from Special Services Director Mary Mockerman. She praised surgery and technical staff for identifying an error in instructions well before potential harm may have occurred to a patient and reporting that error so procedures can be improved. The Capture Falls Initiative Team will be led by Abby Keilwitz, PT, DPT and Kate Brummer, OTD. A process to implement a post-fall huddle will be included in the hospital’s fall reduction plan. Ms. Mockerman said influenza is still being reported as widespread in Nebraska. Although Box Butte County is seeing a decrease in activity, BBGH will continue visitation restrictions. She said influenza activity usually comes in waves and there will probably be another wave or two of smaller outbreaks before flu season is over.

With no Chief of Staff report, the board went on to hear Controller Lori Mazanec present the December financials. December closed with an increase in net assets of $217,000, compared to a decrease of $64,000 a year ago. Year-to-date patient service revenues are 4.7 percent behind budget; however, they have increased over $1-million when compared to a year ago. December operating expenses were $91,000, or 3 percent under budget, with year-to-date expenses under budget by $458,000. December operating income totaled $170,000, $230,000 short of what was budgeted. Ms. Mazanec reported with the hospital half way through its budget year, operations have delivered a gain of $762,000. Taken together with revenue from non-operating sources, the year-to-date increase in net assets stands at $844,000, 7.5 percent lower than projected.

CEO Dan Griess presented conflict of interest statements that needed to be signed by the trustees, which is an annual requirement. The trustees so signed.

After Mr. Parks presented the monthly strategic plan by going through the Enhance Buildings and Equipment and the Advance the Application of Information Technology strategic initiatives, Mr. Griess handed out the September – November 2012 Press Ganey HCAHPS Summary Report. He pointed out several domain results of patient satisfaction ranked the hospital in the upper 90th percentile when compared to 1,690 hospitals surveyed nationwide. Mr. Griess said while there are areas where improvement can be made, having four out of eight domains in the 90th percentile or higher indicates hospital staff is doing a remarkable job in patient care and satisfaction.

The monthly governance focus and a planned executive session for a performance evaluation of Mr. Griess were tabled. The board adjourned the meeting at 1:15 p.m. with the next board meeting being held Monday, February 25 at 7 p.m. in the Alliance Room. As always, the public is invited to attend.

The Judicial Nominating Commission for the 12 county 12th Judicial District will meet in Alliance on Friday to consider the 5 attorneys who’ve applied for a county judgeship that will be based in Alliance.

The commission will hold a public hearing at the Box Butte County Courthouse at 10:00 to take testimony from and about the 5 attorneys who hope to succeed Judge Charles Plantz, who retired more than a year ago.

The applicants are Larry Miller of Alliance, Dawes County Public Defender Paul Wess of Chadron, Stacy Nossaman-Petitt of Scottsbluff, Audrey Elliot of Gering, and Mark Raffety of Omaha. Nossaman-Petitt and Wess have been unsuccessful judicial applicants before.

Each of the applicants will have a chance during the public hearing…which is open to the public…to make their cases for appointment to the bench. Members of the public will also be able to testify for or against any of the five.

The Nominating Commission will then send at least two names on to Governor Dave Heineman, who will make the final decision. A listing of the Commission members can be found on the Nebraska Judicial Branch Web site at http://www.supremecourt.ne.gov/2606/twelfth-district-county-district-court.

After Plantz retired at the end of 2011, the Nebraska Judicial Resources Commission considered a proposal to move Sheridan and Grant counties from the 12th District to the 8th District and to move the judgeship to the juvenile court system in Omaha.

As a test run, County Judge Steven Orr of Valentine spent about 4 months driving weekly from Valentine to Rushville to conduct court…with County Judge Russ Harford of Chadron adding Plantz’s former duties in Alliance to his own.

When the Resources Commission met again in December to make a decision, it was told by virtually everyone connected to the test that it was an abject failure, leaving both judges tired, overworked, and behind. The panel then officially declared a vacancy, starting the process to fill it.

Congratulations to our boys basketball team and their coaches for winning the  Panhandle Conference Tournament.. They played three games in one day and won each game easily.

Thank you to Mayor Fred Feldges, for starting our week off by proclaiming this “Catholic Schools’ Week.” Fr. Tom Ryan, the superintendent of schools for the Grand Island Diocese, and Rich Otto, our school board president, also joined us for the kickoff. We meet each morning in the gym to pray together and begin each day by showing our costumes. We are all having fun and enjoying the festivities.

Thank you to all the people that came to St. Agnes for career day. It is very important that students have good role models. It’s never too early to start thinking about future careers and exploring possibilities.

Thank you to Parents Inc. and our SAY group for providing the movie, Monsters Inc. for the entire school.  Also thank you to all the parents that drove students to the movie. A great time was had by all.

Prayers are needed for Rosie Schmeits. She has been moved into the Intensive Care Unit again and she is badly in need of a liver transplant. We will be establishing a fund at First National Bank to help Sheila and Rosie with expenses. Once the fund is established we will let you know, via this newsletter and local news sources, so that contributions can be accepted.

Thanks to all those of you who are keeping current with our lunch program. Please stay current.  Also, please remember your scrip obligation for this school year. Some people are lagging and received purple letters with their updates. If you have questions about your scrip purchases please call the school.

Parents’ Inc. will not have their pizza sales this year. Candy sales are underway. So please support our candy sales. The St. Agnes weekly lottery ticket sales will be the only other fundraiser this spring.

I sent a message to you last night from our School Reach System to let you know about Catholic Schools Week and to test the system. It worked well. Cancellations and news from the school will be handled through our School Reach System. When youreceive a message you do not need to respond. It is simply to keep you informed.

Donations for the Foundations’ 50/50 fundraiser are underway with the drawing being held Feb. 28, 2013 at the Westside Events Center. Contact a St. Agnes Foundation Board Member if you would like a ticket.

Linda Ainslie of rural Mitchell stated, “The pain was so excruciating, it felt like someone was inside my chest, pulling. It is a pain I will never, ever forget.”

Ainslie was recalling her experience of suffering an aortic aneurysm-a bulge in a section of the body’s main artery-just over three years ago. Although no one in her family had ever suffered a similar condition, her health care team determined it was likely her uncontrolled high blood pressure that caused the aneurysm. “That morning, I tried repeatedly to get out of bed, but the pain continued,” Ainslie said.

She immediately called 911 and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. “I remember that ride  very clearly-every building, every tree I saw. I thought I may never see them again.”

Ainslie had the right instinct to call immediately for help, “Never ignore pain in your chest. If you have a condition like high blood pressure it is so important to follow your healthcare provider’s orders and take medication as prescribed,” she advised.

The Go Red for Women campaign by the American Heart Association encourages women take charge of their heart health by knowing their risk for heart disease and taking action to reduce it. In the Panhandle and throughout the Nation, heart disease is the leading cause of death and nearly one in every three adults reported being told by a healthcare professional that they had high blood pressure. On February 1, 2013 Panhandle Public Health District urges all residents to wear red and help raise awareness that heart disease is the #1 killer.

Heart disease does not discriminate based on age or gender. Lifestyle, overall health, and genetic factors can all raise your risk. While you can’t change things like age and family history, the good news is that even modest changes to your diet and lifestyle can improve your heart health and lower your risk by as much as 80 percent according to the American Heart Association.

Although Ainslie’s road to recovery has been difficult with two additional heart attacks, selfcare has become so much more important to her. “My blood pressure is now very low through healthy eating, watching my sodium intake, avoiding caffeine by switching to green tea, and being active every day,” she relayed.

     Over 80 staffers from across the 65-stores of Bomgaar’s…the family-owned Iowa-based farm and home chain…were in their second day Tuesday of moving everything from the company’s store in Chadron to its new home just across the street. The old store closed Monday at noon with the new location to open later in the week.

Store manager Tim Milner says since the move is a short one…from the north side of 6th Street at Highway 385 to the south side of the street in the south end of the former Pamida-Eisenbarth Motors building, the decision was made to do it in-house using upper level Bomgaar’s employees.

Milner says everyone at Bomgaars is excited about the move because the new building has nearly twice as much floor space…19,2000 square feet compared to about 10,5000…with expanded and better parking, and a centralized 90×200-foot fenced storage area.

Milner says the new inventory for the new store won’t be a lot bigger, it’ll just be more accessible to shoppers, although a few key areas are being increased such as tools and clothing. The DeWalt tool are will see a major increase in offerings.  As for whether the bigger store will bring more employees…Milner says that’s a wait-and-see situation.

Dollar General will continue to lease the north third of the Pamida-Eisenbarth building, with Bomgaar’s to occupy the rest. The current Bomgaar’s store and lot have been sold with the deal scheduled to close February 28th, but the buyer and their plans have not been publicly released.

Bomgaar’s complete a similar move earlier this month…but on an even bigger scale…in Denison, Iowa, where the store moved into a former Wal-Mart building.

The company, founded in Sioux City in 1952, has 65 stores in 6 states…Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming…employing about 1,500 people, and stocking more than 50,000 items in 10 major departments.

After threatening to do it several times, Gering Police Chief Mel Griggs submitted his letter of resignation and retirement to the city council last night…effective March 1st.  He says he’s stepping down now because his financial adviser said he could finally afford to do it.

Griggs has been the chief of police in Gering for the past 23 years and in law enforcement for 45 including 20 years in the Scottsbluff police department and 18 months as a Goshen County, Wyo, Sheriff’s deputy…and admits he’ll will miss the people and excitement of being a policeman.

As for what life will hold for him after March 1st, Griggs says he doesn’t know much except that he’s looking forward to simply relaxing with his wife and riding his bike daily. He’s open to whatever life brings, but is intrigued about some type of work with young people.  Griggs says he likes being comfortable, so he’s staying in Gering and not moving to be closer to his son’s family in Tennessee.

Gering City Administrator Lane Danielzuk plans decide sometime in March whether to fill the chief’s job from within the department or open the process to outside candidates as well.

He won’t name an acting chief, choosing instead to split the duties between the department’s two captains…Patrol Captain Jason Rogers and Investigation Captain George Holthus…giving them “an opportunity to shine and develop a foundation to look first internally to fill the position.”

Danielzuk says Rogers and Holthus will work Griggs during his final month to “get the benefits from the Chief’s experience” in managing the department.

The Alliance School Board has selected four men as finalists for the position of Alliance Superintendent of Schools.

They include:

Travis Miller Supt. of Bayard, Troy Unzicker Supt. of Kimball, Mike Mason Curriculum Director for Scottsbluff Public Schools, and John Brazell, the Business Manager for the Beatrice Public Schools.

Interviews will take place during the week of February 4.

Several groups have been invited to meet the final candidates and submit input to the board.

The board intends to make their selection by February 11.

The Alliance Public Schools has retained the services of McPherson and Jacobson to assist in conducting the search. The consultants reviewed, screened, and conducted extensive background checks on eight applicants. On January 28 presented the board the names of those eight people, and the board selected its final four.