11/17/21 COMMENTS & QUESTIONS

In advance of and during the November 17, 2021 meeting of the Board of Directors, there were several questions asked by members of the community. The comments and questions fell into clear themes, such as board meeting logistics, criticisms of the institution, and suggestions for improvements. While we may not have captured every specific comment or nuance, here is a summary by category:

Meeting Logistics:

Request more advanced notice of meetings
Advice on where and what to post in public notices
More "open time" for public commentary

Criticisms:

More transparency on pricing
More accountability by board and management
Stop firing doctors
Quality of Care scores

Suggestions for Improvement:

Take actions, not lip service Time for a new beginning
Involve the community in the selection of board members/executives Hire more local nurses
Conduct exit interviews with staff who leave the organization
Keep all services open

In Response to these questions & comments from the Hospital:

In response to years of community concern, the County and the Hospital joined forces to professionalize the board and management. The new board bylaws require that directors have some level of professional health care experience. One cannot serve on the board if an elected official, a County employee, or a RMCHCS employee.

In early 2020 the County commissioned the State Auditor to assess the RMCHCS operations and governance after years of trying to obtain Hospital reports on the use of millage and other resources. The State Auditor's report identified corruption and mismanagement as can be seen from extensive media coverage at the time the report was released in September of 2020. Significant changes have been made to address those legitimate concerns. For example, the new management team and board are responsible for a "clean" audit for the first time in five years. Our pricing information is posted on our website; it has been there for over a year.

We are not firing doctors. One doctor was laid off in July 2021 and about 5 other non-physician positions were eliminated due to extreme financial conditions as patient volumes decreased. Other doctors and staff have indeed resigned, which is not uncommon given natural turnover plus operational and cultural changes. When staff resign, we seek to conduct exit conferences to learn why they are leaving; many of those employees choose not to participate in exit interviews. And we know some longtime nurses left the organization for much higher pay as "contract nurses" at other institutions, which is a unique phenomenon resulting from the pandemic where nurses are in high demand and the supply is unable to meet that demand across the country. Plus, some nurses told us they left for higher pay in local private doctors' offices, where the pace is different and perhaps more predictable than an institutional environment. The national nursing shortage has been severe since the pandemic--here and everywhere in the nation. Just up the road in Farmington, NM., and to the east in Grants, NM., you will see comparable nursing shortages and even service limitations. UNM Hospital and other major hospitals in Albuquerque, Phoenix, Denver, etc., are similarly suffering from staffing shortages due to the pandemic.

Don Smithburg I-CEO, RMCHCS