Health System adds three new hires; Dr. Park gives notice

DAYTON–Columbia County Health System has hired three new providers.

Lindsay McLaughlin is a nurse practitioner and has already starting seeing patients at the Columbia Family Clinic earlier this month. Patients are reportedly very pleased with her care, according to the Administrator's Report provided by CEO Shane McGuire.

This comes at the time that Andrew Park, M.D. has given his notice for leaving the practice at the end of May. According to Chief of Staff Kyle Terry, M.D., McLaughlin has agreed to take on Dr. Park's patients in Booker Rest Home with Dr. Terry as the attending provider and Medical Director. He potentially also could be the Medical Director for the clinic but other possibilities are being considered.

The two other hires have signed contracts. One is nurse practitioner Seth Alford, who has been with CCHS previously as a traveling provider in the Emergency and Acute Care departments.

"Seth is a very skilled and tenured ICU and critical care nurse who now brings a wealth of ability as a Nurse Practitioner both in Family Practice and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner," McGuire said.

The other is Family Practice Physician April Biggs, who has over 21 years' experience practicing in southeastern Washington as well as Grandview, Wash. She will start by mid-April.

With the February snow and the short month, revenues were down, according to the financial report. Financial Manager Matt Minor said because of reduced volume, there is decrease of cash on hand.

"You are going to see that continue to decrease over the next year and a half as we pay back the Medicare advance payments, and that is not indicative of a problem," he elaborated. "That is how the program is supposed to be, that they gave us a lot of money to hold on to, and now we are going to be repaying them through a recoupment process where money that we otherwise would have earned from Medicare they've already paid us through their grant payment program. So, you will see a cash decrease from that. You will also see a spend down on CARES money–that fund decreasing. You're going to see cash go back down to a normal level. Hopefully higher than before the pandemic level is what we're shooting for."

A challenge facing CCHS is waiting on the guidance on the use of CARES money for operating funds. Minor said that he should be able to report to the Board about utilizing the CARES money next month.

McGuire reported the County has not received any prime dose vaccinations from the State for three weeks. The vaccinations they have received are from Whitman County.

Vaccinating isn't the only way to approach COVID, McGuire said. CCHS has had success in treating some COVID patients with therapeutics.

In reference to the vaccine supply, Public Health Administrator Martha Lanman has said, "They've changed the way we process vaccine supplies and ask for vaccines as of last week. They have a three-week suggested allocation for us. I'm working with the State and I have the approval for the vaccination to come through Public Health. I'm working on making sure our vaccine supply is in line with who expect to get vaccinated."