The Yuma District Hospital Board of Directors met for its regular monthly meeting last week in the Pearse Board Room at Yuma District Hospital & Clinics.
All five board members were in attendance, President Monica King and board members Mitch Korf, Delaina Klein, Mark Werts and Elizabeth Hickman.
Among the issues covered was the constitution of the board itself. There will not be a board election in May. There were three seats coming open, but only Werts and Hickman, both of whom were appointed in recent weeks after other board members resigned, submitted their names.
Therefore, the election has been canceled, and Werts and Hickman will be sworn-in to their first four-year terms in May.
Election Officer Kiara Saucedo explained that after those two are sworn-in to new terms at the May meeting, the board either then can appoint someone to the opening or first put out a call for candidates. She said King could not run for another elected term due to term limits, but could be appointed.
Hickman said she would be absent for the regularly-scheduled May meeting, so the board agreed to move that date to May 13 in order to get Werts and Hickman sworn in, and then move forward on filling the vacant fifth spot.
The board approved a capital request to purchase a new ultra sound machine for surgical services. The board was told the current one is at the end of its usefullness, and has been for three years. The new unit can be used to help providers to strategically place nerve blocks after procedures such as a joint replacement. That will help reduce post-operative pain for the patient, and a quicker recovery.
Also, it is a mobile unit so it can be elsewhere in the hospital if needed.
A request for a monitor defibrilator at a cost of $5,995 was approved.
A wish list for capital purchases in 2025 was presented to the board. The total is more than $2 million, most of that for a new MRI. CEO Anne Kreutzer said a grant for that has been caught up with everything else in regards to pending federal freezes.
The new MRI came up later in the meeting. Kreutzer said YDH is in need of a new one, and there is the potential that the threatened tariffs could raise the cost significantly.
Financial Officer Rick Korf explained YHD has to pay for it upfront and then recoup half the cost through the grant. He provided payment options, including the hospital district using its own investment cash. That would result in losing interest revenue, but the purchase could move forward. If the hospital district instead sought a loan to pay its share, it would need to wait for approval from the federal government. The board provided its blessing to move forward with paying upfront with the district’s own funds.
It was explained to the board that the new MRI will mean less time for a patient to be in the machine, and will provide the hospital a competitive advantage, resulting in an increase in revenue.
Kreutzer and Korf also visited with the board about a new roof after last year’s hail storm. The hospital district has signed an agreement to move forward with the project. Korf told the board the decision was made to upgrade to a roof guaranteed to withstand winds up to 80 miles per hour and up to four inches of hail. He noted that Yuma likely could experience a two-inch hail storm again at some point, which would mean having to go through it all over again. The hospital district’s deductible is $800,000 to $900,000, but the facility will have a new roof.
The board approved the annual review of the Nursing Staff Plan.
An executive session was held prior to the board approving the medical staff appointments and reappointments. The board approved the list after reconvening in open meeting.
Another executive session was held for the CEO Performance Evaluation.
Prior to all that, Kreutzer gave an update. She shared that work is taking place on an updated strategic plan, and has visited with staff about updating the district’s mission and vision statements. She also spoke about efforts toward changing the YDHC logo and brand building.
Ted Beckman reported to the board about marketing changes, and developing a new website, focusing on Search Engine Optimization so the website and its various pages pop to the top when individuals do internet searches for such things as “Yuma imaging” and “Yuma lab.”
The board’s next regular meeting will be April 23.