Just because the Southwest Health System Board of Directors has reversed its ill-conceived decision to close the Family Birthing Center does not mean that the hospital is out of the woods financially. Births are only one statistic to consider when determining the viability of the FBC and its providers. The proposed closure signaled the lack of knowledge and respect for women’s health issues in general.
The hospital will never be financially viable until it trims its staff to a sustainable level. There are redundancies in positions where they are not needed. One competent registrar can do the job of the two or three that are now employed. A hospital this size does not need a dedicated public information officer. “Promoting from within” is only reasonable when there is a qualified person to promote. Otherwise, a second person needs to be hired to complete the job of one. For these reasons, staff has grown from 350 to over 500, payroll has increased exponentially and bed capacity has decreased.
The board’s responsibility is to become educated in its job. It’s not enough that directors have one free evening a month to dedicate to an SHS meeting; their education must be on-going and comprehensive. The board should not just be taking the advice of a mismanagement company like Community Hospital Corporation, but understanding and evaluating all sides of an issue for themselves.
Get your act together, hospital administration and board, and Southwest Memorial Hospital will be around for another 100 years.
Jan Saunders
Cortez
