GRANTS, N.M. – CEO Thomas Whelan, Cibola General Hospital, acknowledged that the New Mexico Board of Finance will not approve the contract between CGH and Cibola County at this time. The CEO explained that the NMBOF staff will not proceed until the operating and lease agreements are separated. Attorneys representing the hospital and those representing the county participated in a Sept. 23 conference call with NMBOF staff. Whelan noted that the details would be revealed to board members during the closed session of the Sept. 28 meeting.
COVID-19 update
The New Mexico Department of Health notified CGH, a Critical Access Hospital, that CAH facilities are a focus for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, which includes making vaccinating hospital staff and medical providers a priority. The CGH mobile unit will be designated as the COVID-19 clinic; the Bonita Clinic building will be used to house podiatry, orthopedics, and cardiology services.
Finance
The effects of the pandemic from March through August included $4,169,939 in loss of revenue, along with $435,637 for staffing entryways, COVID testing clinic and incident command costs, plus $153,000 for supplies and $124,115 to Tri-Core Reference Laboratories.
This is a total of $4,882,691, according to the financial report, and the grant funding reserve was $847,665 as of Aug. 31. The reserve for the number of cash-on-hand days dropped from 322 to 292 in August.
Contract nursing and lab staff wages, locums at the CFHC clinic, and anesthesia department expenditures resulted in a 10 percent increase in daily operating costs. These expenses should ease in October and normalize by November predicted Jim Hermes, CFO.
Nursing
The hospital recorded 39 patient fall-free days compared to the 29 reported at the Aug. 24 board meeting, according to Co-Chief Nursing Officers Marie Atencio and Glenna Losito.
(Approximately 700,000-1,000,000 patients fall in a hospital each year in the United States. A fall may result in fractures, lacerations, or internal bleeding, leading to increased healthcare utilization. Research shows that close to one-third of falls can be prevented. Fall prevention involves managing a patient's underlying fall risk factors and optimizing the hospital's physical design and environment, according to ahrq.gov)
The Emergency Department served 693 people in August compared to 722 patients in July.
CGH employed three contract nurses in July; that number increased to four in August.
The patient re-admission rate dropped from 1.6 percent in July to one percent in August.
Remodeling projects
Hospital administration and Cibola Sports and Physical Therapy renewed their contract and CSPT has hired an additional therapist to serve an anticipated increase in the number of patients who may be referred by Dr. Abdul Ahmen, orthopedic surgeon.
The hospital has “accepted a bid less than $60,000” for remodeling the physical therapy department that is located within the CGH building. Construction work began on Sept. 28.
The Bonita Clinic facility remodeling project, which will provide offices for Dr. Ahmen, was nearing completion at the end of last month. The orthopedic surgeon will begin seeing patients within the next few weeks, according to the CEO.
Next meeting
Monday, Oct. 26, boardroom, 1016 E. Roosevelt Ave., Grants, 5:30 p.m.
(The CGH board utilizes a telephone conferencing system to provide public access to monthly meetings, which are held in the hospital’s boardroom.)
Call 505-287-5301 or visit cibolahospital.com for additional information.