Hospital Update

Mike Field is our newest commissioner and we inquired why he wanted to participate in this community’s hospital district. He candidly expressed his hopes and desires for the Garfield County Hospital District.

I have had a long professional and personal interest in the local health care system, and have been encouraged many times to consider running for a board position, especially considering my experience as administrator and previous service on the board. More recently I was approached about the possibility and I felt that now I had more time to devote to the responsibilities of a board member. I’m hoping that my experience will be an asset to the hospital district, the board, the community, and the employees of the district.

As a commissioner, I plan to work on keeping communication lines even more open between the board, administrator(s), staff, and the community at large. I hope to be visible and available to local organizations and local government agencies so we can more easily work together for the overall benefit of our community. I’m also hoping to change the perception that transparency is not valued by the board and the hospital/clinic staff. Maintaining the health of our city and county is a common goal for all of us, and I believe the hospital and clinic are essential components of our community’s vitality. Our hospital board and administration are seeking to work with regional, state, and federal agencies and bureaucracies to improve the likelihood of our survival and I want to do what I can to enhance the possibility of success.

Our hospital and clinic have been mainstays here for a long time. My wife and my two daughters were born in this hospital. I seek my primary and preventative care at our clinic. I have had personal experiences of needing the services of the emergency room and of the capable staff there. My mother spent her last years living in the long–term care facility. My employment as hospital district superintendent is what brought my family to this community that I’ve grown to appreciate so much. I have a definite prejudice toward keeping our hospital/clinic just because of my personal history. But, my goals for our hospital now are not based on sentiment.

I want to do what I can to restore and reinforce the public confidence in our services and our staff. I want to research all possibilities with regard to services that our constituents need and will provide additional sources of revenue for our facilities. I want to successfully recruit and retain a capable provider staff that can provide the continuity of care that patients want and need. I want to re-establish the hospital as the “top of mind” provider of healthcare here, instead of the “only in case of emergency” status that is the thinking of some. I want to continue the active pursuit of funding sources (grants, government-funded programs) that may be available to us that can supplement the property tax revenue we already receive.

I believe all of these goals are held in common with the other board members (past and present) and the administration and staff of the hospital district.

We’re in a difficult financial situation right now and we need the support of the voters of Garfield County Public Hospital District in order to survive long enough to make the improvements we’d all like to make, so I want to make the case that the hospital is indeed a worthwhile, essential investment that provides more than just health care to our community.