Hospital board discusses concerns about OR climate control

By Steve Moyer

Nevada Daily Mail

Dr. Scott Beard raised concerns over the air-conditioning in the operating rooms Tuesday during the regular meeting of the Nevada Regional Medical Center board of directors.

"The humidity got so bad we couldn't operate in there," Beard said. "I couldn't legally operate."

Beard raised his concern while the board was considering the capital budget for the 2011 fiscal year.

"It's not in the budget until 2013," Beard said. "We've got a problem with it now."

Hospital CFO Cindy Buck said the hospital maintained a contingency fund that could be used to get the problem taken care of earlier.

"We have a fund just for things that come up and need to be taken care of," Buck said. "We can use the contingency fund or we can move another item back to give us the money now to take care of the problem."

Buck said the air conditioning had been a problem before.

"We put in an additional chiller and we thought that had taken care of the problem," Buck said.

Several other board members commented and said the problem seemed to be recurring and suggested the board look at speeding up the process of renovating the air conditioning system.

"That's something we can do," Buck said.

Hospital CEO Judy Feuquay introduced the hospital's interim chief nursing officer, Jacklyn Wilcoxson, to the board and said recruitment for a permanent replacement would continue and is expected to take three to five months to complete.

Feuquay also informed the board Susan Hoberock had stepped down as lab director to focus on the scientific aspect of her career as a medical technologist. She is being replaced by Bobby Daugherty.

Feuquay said that Dr. Ryan Harrison would complete his residency program at the end of June, 2011 and would join NRMC as a Family Practice/Obstetrics physician by August, 2011. NRMC assisted with his recruitment by providing a recruitment bonus, educational stipend and an income guarantee.

The board was told to expect to receive the annual board evaluation by e-mail in the near future.

Chairman Glenn Rogers said the form would only take a short time to fill out and that the answers would be very helpful.

"Thank you in advance for your time and effort," Rogers said. "You all do a great job - we have an excellent, dynamic board."

In other business the board:

* Approved contracts with Dr. Daniel Barnes for call coverage for rural clinics, directorship of the Emergency Department and a physician lease agreement for a total cost of $281,380.

* Approved a contract with Dr. Glenda Young for lease of space in the specialty clinic for a revenue of $900.

* Approved a contract with Dr. Mark Van Ess for space in the specialty clinic for a revenue of $1,800.

* Approved Healthcare Services Group Insurance renewal for a cost of $190,083.

* Approved seeking bids for replacement of the roof on the South Tower for a cost not to exceed $175,000.