Wednesday's Internet Edition, August 27, 2008.
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| RIFLE RAFFLE - Hamilton Hospital Auxiliary members are selling chances to win a Remington Model 870 12 gauge pump shotgun with a laminated stock and a modified choke, a retail value of $373, donated by auxiliary member Gene Clary. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20, available from auxiliary members and at Edward Jones in Hamilton. Proceeds from the drawing will support auxiliary projects that benefit Hamilton General Hospital. The drawing will be held on Saturday during Dove Festival. Purchasers of tickets need not be present to win. For further information, contact Buckie Pate at 386-3855. Pictured are auxiliary members Pattye Ward, Lauretta Adams, Clary, Sue Ann Finley and Buckie Pate, auxiliary president. |
The clinic renovation project is almost complete, Administrator Jim Shafer told the Board of Directors Monday, and two new physicians, Hamilton natives Dr. Tim Rudolph and Dr. Shalor Craig, will begin their practices at the clinic on Friday. Appointments can be made by calling 386-1700.
“Hats off the clinic staff,” Shafer said. “I’ve heard no complaints from the staff; they just took the whole process in stride and kept running business as usual as well as possible.”
A reception is planned at the clinic on Sunday, Aug. 10, from 1-2:30 p.m. to welcome the new doctors and give Hamilton area residents a chance to see the improvements to the clinic facility.
The other part of the healthcare system’s yearlong construction project, the Hamilton Wellness Center, reports 90 new members since the new facility opened last month, according to Fitness Director Jon Lengefeld, who also addressed the board on Monday.
The 34 percent membership increase doesn’t mean all of the members are using the facility, so Lengefeld told the board that usage has increased 67 percent on weekdays and 42 percent on weekends.
He added that 101 wellness center members are 65 years old or older, and of those 101, 60 are older than 70. The majority of the new senior citizen members have enrolled in the water aerobics classes, which meet at various times during the week. Along with the increased census, Lengefeld said that participation in classes is up 50 percent.
“This is very exciting to me,” he said. “It’s like a dream; people keep saying they can’t believe we have this in Hamilton.
“The new equipment is user-friendly and can be used even by those who have been injured,” he said, noting that some physical therapy patients are using the fitness area of the center under the direction of Physical Therapist Kevin Cude. In addition, participants in the LifeTrax extension of Cardiac Rehab will use the fitness center equipment to further their rehabilitation. The old equipment that was not moved into the new building has been listed for sale online, he said.
Lengefeld told the board that dust issues over use of the alleyway behind the center are the only negative comments he has heard from the community, and that situation is being addressed by the Wellness Center as well as by the City of Hamilton.
He thanked the board for its support of the project and faith in the staff members at the Wellness Center.
Board members also renewed the district’s contract with the Family Practice Associates, adding the new doctors to the contract and increasing compensation for Emergency Department coverage.
Shafer told the board that the hospital continues to receive favorable scores from inpatient surveys regarding their stay at HGH, as well as from Press-Ganey Quality Improvement reports. Departmental QI reports also were reviewed by the board.
In her financial report, CFO Michele Cathey reported $2.8 million in inpatient and outpatient revenue, adjustments of $1,654,550 and net patient revenue of $1,234,527. Total operating revenue was $1,310,318; expenses were $1,302,508 for a net profit of $16,198. Admissions and census days were lower in July than a year ago, but clinic and ER visits have increased by 12 percent and 8 percent, respectively.