Alva Review-Courier -

The mental health services for seniors, Senior Life Solutions, can’t be located at The Homestead, said Share Medical Center CEO Kandice Allen. She told the Alva Hospital Authority (AHA) trustees Monday that the facility used must follow the Life Safety Code just like the hospital. The Homestead doesn’t qualify. Options are being considered.

Dr. Addison Roberts, a potential new surgeon, visited on Nov. 14 to meet with staff and tour the surgery department. Allen cautioned that all the paperwork and credentialing can take some time to complete.

Dr. Joel Tupper, the orthopedist who comes to Alva, is routinely at maximum capacity on clinic days and when here for surgery days. He also spoke to EMS personnel from Alva, Cherokee and Waynoka along with the Alva Fire Department, answering questions related to orthopedic injuries and provided them with his personal cellphone number when they have questions on the scene of an injury.

With Dr. Tupper being so busy, the MRI schedule is getting full. Patients have been offered an option of scheduling on Saturday, but that has not proved to be popular.

Allen said clinic volumes are up. A few employees have started training to handle weight loss protocols. Two nurses have completed a trauma course.

The hospital is still looking for a way to replace the mammogram machine. The hospital’s mammogram machine crashed and cannot be repaired.

Allen cautioned that Covid-19 and the flu are back in town.

The hospital staff is continuing to tweak Meditech Expanse as employees find problems.

The hospital recently hired an IT manager to work remotely. Allen said she was worried how that would work, but she said there has been good communication with the staff.

Survival Flight is still on track to begin operation Dec. 15. Allen said three staff members, two paramedics and a pilot, will be on site in Alva. They will be staying at the house on the corner of Share Drive and Murray Drive. The staff will be rotated in and out so it won’t always be the same people. The hospital will need to do some work on the helicopter pad on lighting and a chain around the area to keep deer out.

Allen said that patients with AirEvac insurance can request that service. In those cases, Survival Flight will move their helicopter off the pad so the other medical helicopter can land there. Survival Flight transportation is not covered by AirEvac insurance. Especially for those at high risk of needing the service, it might be wise to subscribe to both insurance plans.

AHA Chairman Jason Gaisford said Survival Flight helicopters are larger so when a child is flown out there’s room for a parent to ride along. Allen said they can fly in more inclement weather than other services being used here.

In addition to Gaisford, trustees present for the Nov. 27 special meeting were Dr. Ken Brown, Dr. Halah Simon, Dr. Bo Hannaford, Dr. Callie Mosburger and Greg Bowman. Dr. Scott Burk arrived a few minutes into the meeting.

Financial Report

CFO Angelica Brady presented the financial report for Share Medical Center. She said due to the new program they were unable to send out billing, but they are getting back on track. The operating cash balance for October was $116,350 representing 4.5 days of operating expenses excluding depreciation.

Accounts payable at the end of October totaled $1,375,525 representing 105.3 days of operating expenses excluding the costs related to salaries, benefits and depreciation.

Hospital gross revenue for the month totaled $1,782,559, an increase of $6,426 compared to the prior month. Total patient days for October were 42 compared to 63 in September. Total clinic office visits for October were 1,593 compared to 1,436 in September.

The hospital had a net income of $139,143 for October. The year-to-date net loss through October is $472,210 compared to a loss of $855,509 at this time last year.

Medical Staff

Dr. Burk presented Krystal Elliott, APRN, for reappointment to allied staff. She specializes in family medicine and has been working in Urgent Care. The trustees approved her reappointment.

Share Convalescent Home

Share Convalescent Home Administrator Kelly Parker reported a net loss for October of $50,644. The facility has a year-to-date net loss of $158,854 through October compared to a net loss of $242,352 at the same time last year.

Parker said that customer service performance measures from surveys are better than state averages across the board. Census numbers are up slightly.

The home had a Covid-19 outbreak with 16 residents and 10 to 12 staff testing positive. An isolation wing was set up. Parker said the residents fared well, but some staff members had a harder time with symptoms. One resident had an overnight stay at the hospital. The outbreak began Nov. 16, and on the meeting date, Nov. 27, the first resident was able to return to a regular room at the nursing home.

Things are still going slowly with the Beadles administration and purchase of the nursing home. However, Beadles helped out by sending some staff to Share when they were short-handed.

A group of NWOSU students from the Habitudes class helped in the butterfly garden. They cleaned up the flower beds and bagged up dead plants and leaves.

The Homestead

Parker reported that The Homestead showed a net income of $4,131 for October, up from $3,925 in September. The year-to-date income for this year and last year are nearly identical. This year, through October The Homestead had a net income of $34,812 compared to $34,917 for the same period last year.

The Homestead has reservations on the two two-bedroom apartments that are under renovation from a water leak. He said the super-2 apartment residents are moving out, but someone else is ready to move in.

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, The Homestead has decided to postpone their annual Christmas Open House.

Other Business

The trustees approved the schedule of meetings for 2024.

As usual, the AHA will not have a regular meeting in December. Instead, they will join staff in a Christmas gathering on Dec. 19 at The Bull with no business to be conducted.