Hospital Candidates Bail Out

DAYTON - The final three candidates for the Columbia County Health System CEO position were narrowed to one this week when two applicants withdrew for personal and finan- cial reasons.

The sole candidate left is Dale Polla of Missoula, Mont.

"We didn't anticipate this would happen," Board Member Lisa Naylor said. "

No one will be hired for the CEO position until after Polla visits Dayton and the surround- ing area on the week of Aug 20, Naylor said.

During Polla's visit he will visit local hospitals and clinics to get a feel for the area. With the feedback from local health facilities, the board will make an evaluation and determine if Polla will be a good fit for the position, Naylor said.

Naylor also said if after the visit Polla does not seem like an appropriate fit for the CEO position, the board will enlist the help of a search agency. Ul- timately, the biggest factor will be timing.

"We want to fill the position before Smiley leaves in Septem- ber," Naylor said. "We're run- ning up against the wire."

The final three CEO can- didates were approved by the board at its meeting on Tuesday, July 25.

The search for a new CEO started after Charlie Button's resignation in May. Button left the district to take on a new job at Star Valley Medical Center in Afton, Wyo.

The candidates have been narrowed down from more than 30 initial candidates to seven. After phone interviews with the candidates, divided into two groups, the pool of seven candi- dates was narrowed to three, who were announced by Naylor during the meeting.

The board also discussed progress in the hospital's finances. Chief Financial Officer John Hen- nessy said the hospital's assets are greater than its liabilities, for the first time since before 1999. Hennessy said the financial de- partment has been paying more attention to spending and making sure they are making good deci- sions while shopping for things the hospital needs.

"Mainly, we're shopping around," Hennessy said. "We're getting the same positive quality, but at a discounted rate."

Money management will be vital as upcoming legislative ses- sions could lead to painful cuts from rural hospitals. Patterson said rural hospitals could be big targets for cuts at the hands of legislators because of the tense economy.

Interim CEO Jon Smiley said Hennessy's recent experi- ence at a rural hospital confer- ence speaks volumes about the strength of the Columbia County Health System. This strength will help keep the hos- pital receiving state funding.

Smiley also offered another note of progress for the hospital announcing that the year to date turnover rate is 15.8 percent of the workforce replaced. This rate con- tinues to decline and is now closer to in line with other hospitals in similar situations, Smiley said.

Turnover is expected to con- tinue to decrease and Booker Rest Home Director of Nursing Stephanie Carpenter has a course, which she hopes will help with that goal.

The class is a three week course leading up to an exam to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA). The class will start on Aug. 20 and applicants will be accepted on a first come first serve basis, Carpenter said.

"Hopefully I will be looking to hire from this class to fill some positions," Carpenter said. "I'll be looking for full-time spots and also per-diem jobs."

Carpenter said the course will only have space for 12 stu- dents and after the class is filled there will be a waitlist. Spaces are still available for the course and Carpenter said she would be reaching out to Walla Walla Community College to fill the final spots if necessary. Carpen- ter said she is always looking to hire locally for Booker and she thinks this will be a good way to do this.