RHCD moving forward on new clinics

by Janet Montgomery

The Sublette County Rural Health Care Board decided that it’s time to meet with Sublette County Commissioners, and board members hope to get on the May 16 agenda to talk about moving forward with two new medical clinics in the county.

“What we need to do is get a meeting with the county commissioners since they had made some promises, and see if they are going to keep them,” Chairman Jerry Jensen said, “and go from there. That way everyoneis on the same page.”

Jensen told board members that the meeting with Town of Marbleton two weeks ago went well, with talk about possible sites for the clinic.

Currently, the RHCD board is looking at several possible locations to acquire for a new clinic to be built.

With board members reflecting on schedules, Mary Lynn Worl and Bill Barney said that they would be available and Jensen said he could possibly make a late meeting on May 16.

Jensen also opted to ask everyone to start thinking about wages.

Jensen said that because no one brought up wages during the public comment period and with budget time approaching — just three meetings away — it was time to start thinking about it.

Wanting to operate at a break-even point, Jensen noted, “Wages aren’t cutting it.”

Discussion also turned to the cost of diesel fuel to run the ambulances expecting to increase by 15 to 20 percent this summer.

Barney suggested doing what UPS does and add a fuel cost to ambulance runs.

Jensen said that adjusting the ambulance rates, as well as rates at the clinic, are also items that will need to be addressed.

In other business, the board was approached to allow a private company to use the tower at the clinic for a co-location for Internet access to be broadcast to a tower at Sand Draw that companies in the gas fieldscan utilize.

Scott Mecca, a representative of Rocky Mountain Communications Systems, told the board that the company was open to any idea the board would like to come up with to be compensated for use of the tower, including a possible trade with a co-location of the tower at Sand Draw for county use.

However, RHCD Director Randy Johnson said that several issues regarding public property and use had surfaced. He said that in Sublette County, it is unprecedented to allow private use of public property such as this tower.

“That’s a tough issue,” he said. “So there’s more discussion to be had.” The board also unanimously opted to pay a $400 fee to the Federal Communications Commission for a 10-year license on two communication devices that will be installed in ambulances, one at each end of the county.

Also at Monday’s meeting, questions a rose regarding information technology. The issue was tabled, with direction to request that Dan Farrand attend the next meeting to address some of the board’s questions about battery backup and the location of the equipment that Farrand is constructing to build the electronic infrastructure necessary for electronic health records.

The board also voted unanimously to release Karen Haskell and Heather McAdams from probation before going into executive session for personnel, land acquisition, litigation and the Pinedale Medical Clinic.

Coming out of session the board took two actions, first to sign the agreement with Dr. Judy Boyle to take over the Pinedale Medical Clinic and second to sign a settlement agreement.

The agreement lists Charles Moore as the complainant against the Pinedale Ambulance Service.

According to the settlement, the PAS does not admit to any violation of Wyoming Fair Employment Practices or of the Civil Rights Act, but that the respondent and the complainant agree to allow the complainant to enroll and participate in the Basic EMT training the next time it is offered. The complainant will be responsible for paying for books or materials required for the course, and that completing the training does not guarantee him a position with PAS. Although, the PAS aggrees to allow Moore to apply for a job with the Big Piney EMS and go through the normal application process, but is not guaranteed a position with Big Piney EMS.

The respondent also agrees to remit $3,150 to Moore as full and final relief of the charge, according to the document. Moore then agrees to sign a release of claims and “to keep the nature of the complaint as well as the terms and conditions of this settlement agreement confidential.”