HEALTH DISTRICT IN TRANSITION PART 2

Editor's Note: This is the second in an occasional series about Columbia County Health System serving patients in the Dayton and Waitsburg areas. The series will focus on changes and developments since last year's management study and review.

WAITSBURG - The night after Jeff Monyak filed his elections paperwork to run for a seat on the health district board of commissioners, he cal led incumbent Jack Otterson on the phone at home.

He didn't know Otterson personally, but knew the reputation of the longtime Waitsburg resident he had just moved to run against.

" I ha d heard to good things about him," Monyak said. "I wanted him to know my run for the board wasn't anything personal against him."

Rather, the former Coast Guardsman who now owns Trail's End Taxidermy on Dayton Street, says he has general concerns about the leadership on the current board and feels his up-to-date knowledge of modern business practices would serve the health district well.

He also wants to make sure the district, which is a key economic asset for the area as well as a community health care provider, is a place where employees feel valued and not expendable.

The two men are running for the health district position 5, a seat Otterson has held for eight years. Another incumbent, Blaine Bickelhaupt of Dayton who holds position 2, faces two challengers discussed in the Times two weeks ago.

Both positions are at large, meaning the candidates can be from any community within the district that covers Dayton and Waitsburg. Since there are three candidates for Bickelhaupt's seat, the primary election will take place in August.

"The recent problems at the hospital motivated me to run," Monyak said. "I watched the [contentious] public meetings. I thought the board members were disengaged. I'll definitely be proactive if I get elected."

For his part, Otterson said the current members of the board work well together and are succeeding in their longterm effort to improve the care and work environment at the district.

"During the last year, the board has worked hard to address the concerns brought to us by the people," he said. "The morale is good."

Also A Businessman

Otterson, 74, whose family moved to Waitsburg in 1945 and a graduate of Waitsburg high school, said even though it's not easy being a small rural hospital, Columbia County Health System is one of the best districts in the state.

"It's tough to make the decisions necessary for the hospital district to succeed," he said during a recent interview at his home in Waitsburg. "I have had experience working with people and making tough decisions."

Otterson also has a background as a businessman, having owned the Dayton Drive-in Theater with his wife Nancy from 1966 to 1984. He worked for Walla Walla County for 31 years, including 15 years as a road supervisor.

His longest local public service has been on the Waitsburg Ambulance Service board for 41 years, including 27 years as chairman. Otterson was on the Waitsburg-based Fire District no. 2 for 25 years and on the city's Planning Commis- sion for 12 years. He also served on the Waitsburg City Council.

Otterson was first appointed and then elected to the hospital board, which he said he has served with pride.

"During my eight years on the board, I have found that it is a difficult job but rewarding," he said. "I have learned a lot and I have contributed."

Much of his focus in the past eight years has been on facilities and he counts the construction of the Waitsburg clinic as his highlight.

"He was there every day, taking coffee down to the construction crew and foreman," Nancy Otterson said. "They worked through the winter to get it done."

Given another six-year term, Otterson said he wants to continue promoting facilities projects in the district, including a possible renovation and upgrade of the hospital's emergency room and the addition of a pool for physical therapy.

"We want the hospital to be the best it can be for people," he said.

Although the seat he has on the board doesn't require residency in Waitsburg, Otterson said it's important the board has someone who can speak up on behalf of the community.

"It's nice to have input from this area," he said.

Although he said last year's personnel management turmoil was a tough situation, he and other board members have helped the district's executives slowly turn conditions around, following up on many of the commendations they received from a consultant.

Otterson said he encourages an ongoing dialogue to keep making things better.

"I have always been available to anyone to contact me if they have any concerns," he said. "I feel I'm able to work well with people."

So What Happened?

If Monyak gets elected, one of the first things he wants to do is find out what happened with the results of the survey consultant Susan Newton conducted at a cost of about $40,000 last year and the recommendations that came out of it.

He feels the survey results have been poorly communicated to the community and it would be interesting to see if the current board and management have taken any of her advice by heart.

"That would be my first order of business," Monyak said. "Let's revisit where we were at a year and a half ago. Is it working?"

The retired Coast Guardsman said he has always been results-oriented. Born and raised up in Cleveland, Ohio, which he facetiously calls "a good place to be from." Monyak spent 22 years with the Coast Guard, moving to new assignments about every two years. The last tour he did was on the coast of Maine. About two decades of his time with the service was spent in search and rescue, and a decade as an executive officer.

He was offered a promotion in Maine, but turned it down. He was ready to "retire" and take up his passion for mounting hunting and fishing trophies.

The 49-year-old entrepreneur and his wife Angela, who works at the hospital as the baker and caterer, moved to Dayton a decade ago. Angela Monyak is from Grandview, Ore., and the couple toyed with the idea of moving to the La Grande but found the tax situation for retired veterans better in Washington state.

Besides, they loved the Blue Mountains and discovered that even with so much access to hunting and fishing, there were few taxidermy services available and saw an opening for his business.

Because of his wife's work at the hospital and his regular visits to the cafeteria, he got to know a lot of employees there and began to take an interest in their concerns.

Monyak now wants to take those insights and what he's learned from getting an associate's degree in business and management from Walla Walla Community College and from being an entrepreneur to make contributions to the health district.

His executive experience in the Coast Guard and his emergency management background would also come in handy. From 2008 to 2010, Monyak worked as Columbia County's assistant director for emergency management under director Bill Peters.

" That's where I got a chance to work with police, fire, emergency management, public health officials and commissioners," he said.

Monyak feels hospital commissioners shouldn't try to run the district day by day, but assume firmer leadership and mentorship over its top management than they currently do.

It appears that some positive changes have been made at the district, he said. Internal relations seem to have gotten better, there are fewer firings and a recent management training seminar has led to better management team dynamics.

But the billing situation, although improving, needs to get better and the hospital can take a harder look at which services contribute to the bottom line and which ones do not.

Monyak said what he knows about running a business in the current economy and all its challenges will be an asset to the board and the community it serves.

"Somebody on the board needs to know what it takes to run a business now, not 10 or 15 years ago," he said. "The dynamics of this economy have drastically changed how you do business."