CCHS to Lease Port Office for Training Facility

DAYTON—The Columbia County Health System is close to signing a lease for the Port-owned building formerly occupied by Columbia County District Court, according to CEO Shane McGuire. During last week’s hospital district board meeting, McGuire said that the space will be used for the Certified

Nursing Assistant program, as well as for an offsite education facility.

McGuire told the hospital district commissioners that the first round of payments have been received from Washington Rural Health Access Preservation for CCHS’s focus on integrated behavioral health in the clinics, and depression screening of Medicaid patients.

“If we continue to meet benchmarks we will have a final round in 2018, bringing the 2018 total to $93,960,” he said.

McGuire said that if benchmarks continue to be met, additional funding will be received from WRHAP next year.

A new director has been hired for the clinics, said McGuire. Judy Miller started work on Oct. 22, and she has been shadowing an interim director from the consulting team V2V.

For the past year V2V has been assessing a variety of issues at the clinics, and has determined the need for strong leadership, said McGuire.

“We’re going to take those goals and start working on them,” he said about the assessment.

McGuire attended a Lion’s Club meeting in Waitsburg with Dr. Neace to discuss Emergency Department services at the hospital, and other outreach initiatives.

He also reported that the drive-through flu clinics were a success.

Ninety-five people passed through the Dayton drive-through flu shot program earlier this month, which is roughly three times the number in past years, he said.

“We are very thankful for our volunteer nurses that worked the clinic, some after having worked a 12-hour shift,” said McGuire.

McGuire said the budget was exceeded in September. There should be $1.2 million in deposits for October, up from $924,000 deposited in September, he said in his report.

“We are recognizing a trend of improved deposits as our team continues to increase momentum,” he said.

Bringing billing in house will be a bonus for collecting older Accounts Receivable, which he said are collectible, and which will be carried forward into the 2019 budget.

“We’re going to be working really hard on older billing,” McGuire said.

“We are seeing trends and statistics ticking the way we want,” he said.

In his financial report for September, Controller Tom Meyers said money owed to Noridian Medicare at the end of 2018, has been duly recorded.

The Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution moving November’s meeting from the 22nd to the 29th because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

In addition, a public hearing is scheduled for November 14, in the Administration Building boardroom, for the purpose of adopting the 2019 budget.