Hospital District Board report for January

DAYTON-The Columbia County Health System's Executive Leadership team participated in a five-day leadership course led by its Semi Bird, Executive Director of Team Concepts Training Services, reported CCHS CEO Shane McGuire at the hospital district commissioners meeting in January.

Team Concepts will continue providing training to CCHS staff throughout the year. The goal of the training is to transform workplace culture. Each department-level manager will receive the same training as the Executive Leadership Team, McGuire said.

"We take really good doctors, really great nurses, and even very strong housekeepers that all do a fantastic job in their role and make them managers. What we are really doing is giving them the title of manager, but very little in the way of training, support, or tools, hoping that their natural ability will carry them through, successfully," McGuire said.

Part of a healthy workplace culture is one where people understand how their work and efforts roll up to overall mission success," he said.

McGuire told the commissioners Team Concepts would assist them to begin work on their next Five-year Strategic Plan.

Strategic roles and assignments for the first Five-Year Strategic Plan did not get communicated throughout all levels of the organization, and McGuire hopes this will be corrected going forward.

McGuire also reported about actions taken to decrease reliance on expensive contract labor for the Health System. Two new full-time Registered Nurses have been hired in Acute Care Services, and another will be hired soon.

Nurses require a valid state license to work in Washington State, said McGuire. Thirty-four states in the nation are enrolled in the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC), which allows nurses some flexibility across state lines; however, Washington State does not participate in the NLC. Consequently, the market for nurses is "tight," he said.

Dayton General Hospital Pharmacy Manager Cheryl Pell is doing a "fantastic" job balancing COVID-19 vaccine needs, including scheduling first and second doses.

McGuire said through diligent efforts, CCHS staff reached an agreement with the County to use the Columbia County Fairgrounds for a vaccination clinic.