Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

DAYTON–Delay in transitioning to assisted living due to inspections was one of the factors contributing to a net loss of $292,000 for the Columbia County Health System in October, with contract labor counting as another major contributor.

The loss is largely attributable to the delay in moving residents into the assisted-living facility as they work through inspections to get licensed, according to CFO Matt Minor, at an impact to inpatient revenue of $126,000. Another factor is operating costs being $209,000 over budget, which is mainly due to the higher-than-expected cost of contract labor.

Outpatient revenue was strong and helped to offset the bottom line by being $525,000 over budget, the financial report indicated.

The Board voted to approve Resolution 06-2022 to authorize McGuire to enter into an agreement with The Rural Collaborative and form a limited liability partnership agreement for the purpose of entering into a cooperative agreement “with other rural public hospital districts in order to provide for the health care needs of the people served by the hospital districts.” CCHS will pay an initial $2000 to join and can opt out at any time.

An update regarding the childcare project showed the administration is working through contract negotiations with the operator that scored the highest on the proposal as determined by the committee. Once the terms are agreed upon, a formal announcement will be made.

In the meantime, a project readiness document has been submitted and other requirements of the federal funding are being worked through. McGuire said after that, they will continue to work on the design and pricing and then will advertise for requests for proposals for the construction of the design. The estimated time for opening is mid-summer for the care of 40+ kids.

Plans for the acute care department include work in room 110 for a total of 15 rooms along with the seven beds in Hall 1. Some rooms will be double-occupancy to maintain the 25-bed requirement.

Chief of Staff Lewis Neace and McGuire spoke about the broken system in crisis management. Columbia County currently contracts with Comprehensive Healthcare. The nearest office is Walla Walla; however, their professionals are overburdened and so some have had to come from Yakima which delays the care and can affect outcomes. As a result, CCHS has hired someone who can work locally, but they cannot work 24/7.

At other times, one of the only sources of help is the Emergency Room because the hospital does not have any beds for psychiatric needs. The care required is often one-on-one and leaves staff and doctors frustrated as it is a drain on the system. Sometimes they stay for days until they can get a bed at a facility which has proved difficult because they are understaffed. McGuire said they are admitting them for free because the patient does not have something they can treat or that they can bill for. He requested the Board members advocate as elected officials to elected representatives for better resources for these patients.