Seventeen want to serve on hospital district board of directors

The largest number of people for one race in Hot Springs County this election is 17, all of whom are campaigning for positions on the Hot Springs County Hospital District. This district would be formed if the ballot proposition to form a district passes. There are two four-year terms available, and three two-year terms.

Among those going for the four-year terms is Josh Conrad, a current member of the appointed hospital board who supports both of the hospital ballot proposals.

Conrad has said it’s important to remember the money raised by the proposals would stay and be of benefit here, and he’s open to listening to anyone’s questions and concerns.

Bradyn Harvey is running because he loves this town and the county, and he wants future generations to “have a county left to them better than it was when it was left to us.” He supports the one-cent tax proposal, but is against the formation of a district that would not be fiscally responsible and held accountable for its actions. He’s concerned about the district wasting money.

Joseph Casciato, who was previously opposed to the hospital proposals, recently stated he found no reason why he shouldn’t pay the proposed tax, or for the district. He previously ran for county commissioner, and would like a spot on the board because of his experience working for a hospital and his knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance.

Dave Koerwitz believes medical care is important to the community. He stated he’s served on many boards at the local, state and national level, and understands how boards operate. On the hospital district board, he would work to pass the budget, oversee construction and make sure operations runs smoothly. With his experience and communication skills, he believes he would be an effective board member. Koerwitz said the hospital is in need of an update, but closing the facility would have an impact on the entire community.

Allan Braaten believes the hospital needs to be here, and needs to be running well for this community to survive. The hospital now operates as a critical care facility, which, he has acknowledged, is outdated. There is only one shower, and the emergency room and operating rooms need to be expanded, and that expansion is necessary to allow for updated medical equipment.

Jim Wilson is for a hospital facility, as healthcare is one of the things people will look at when deciding whether they move here. Wilson noted he has taken an active role in the community, including having been on the hospital board for 10 years, several years ago, and has been on state and national boards. He believes his board and business experience would be of benefit to the board.

Bill Williams has been on the hospital board for about 15 years, and his platform is simple: healthcare is vital to the survival of the community. The facility is outdated and there is no funding to simply replace them, he said, and the board has worked long hours trying to find alternatives but there is no money available elsewhere. He believes the community has to be willing to stand up and support the hospital.

Dean Stone is for the hospital, and has a vested interest in it, due to health reasons. He’s for the hospital initiatives, and believes they are necessary though people might be concerned about them. Stone has a varied and diversified background, including work in the insurance industry, and he holds a degree in risk management, which involves looking at ways to reduce costs and provide quality services.

Those campaigning for the two-year terms include Dan Herdt, who was recently appointed to the current hospital board to fill and expired term. He noted management at the hospital, and the board, are cognizant of costs facing the hospital and do their utmost to make the hospital as efficient as possible. Healthcare is a big need in the community, Herdt said, and his vision of the hospital is using it as something of an economical driver.

Harvey Seidel is concerned about having a member on the district board — should the voters choose to form the district — that will be supportive as well as objective. He is experienced in building budgets, and being accountable and transparent. He pointed out there are two groups who seem to want the same thing, he said, but different views on how to obtain it, and he would like to see the board examine conservative avenues when it comes to spending.

Joshua Brown said he wants to do his part in taking care of the community, and serving on the board would go to that. While the simple question of whether he is for the district is easy to answer – yes – Brown said more complex questions include what people’s expectations are of him as a board member. His long-term goal is to have Thermopolis be a viable option for future generations, and without a hospital that isn’t possible.

Breez Daniels supports the tax and the formation of the district. The hospital will never be a big profit center, she said, as rural healthcare is expensive and complicated, and Hot Springs County residents are geographically isolated. The bottom line, she said, is people can pay for the hospital and maintain local control, or sell out and see the hospital closed while people travel outside the county for healthcare.

Jean Skelton chose to run for the hospital board based on her strong belief in giving back to the community. Often times the best decisions come from when compromise is made among differing opinion, she said, and encouraged people to relish those differences. In her experience outside the county, Skelton noted she audited the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital and some larger healthcare firms.

Tom Olsen stated it’s of utmost importance the citizens vote for the hospital initiatives. With a family that has benefitted from the hospital, he has a vested interest in the facility and in making it one of the best. He further noted he believes in the importance of the creation of the hospital district and that the people remain the owners of the hospital. If improving the hospital can help save one life, Olsen stated, it’s an easy choice to make.

Benge Brown believes with proper management the hospital would thrive without increased taxes. Even if the district proposition passes, he said, without proper management it might not be enough to keep the hospital alive. Brown noted many administrative aspects of the hospital are performed outside of the county and state, and the hospital could save money and create jobs if positions for those services were hired out locally. That would also mean money stays local, he said, not only benefitting the hospital but all businesses in town.

Heath Overfield, on the hospital Board of Trustees since 2012, is running for the district board because he wants to follow through with master facility plan and initiatives of the current board. It’s important for the hospital to be able to provide, at minimum the services it does now, Overfield said, and it has a big economic impact on the town; the number of people employed affects things such as the number of students and teachers here, and ancillary and support services will have a hard time justifying staying here. Overfield believes it would be a long-term decline of population and economic base. He added other options have pretty much been exhausted, and he’s for maintaining local control while reducing costs.

Paul Galovich said when he first started running there weren’t nearly as many candidates, and he wanted to give people more choice. There will be some substantial challenges facing the hospital, he said, going beyond the ballot issues of whether to form the district and special purpose tax. For example, there is the federal government’s continuing intrusion when it comes to regulating hospitals, whether there is a backup plan and what that plan is. It’s important to have someone on the board with a business sense, and who is willing to take in all of the factors, Galovich said, and work to protect rural hospitals. He noted he would be committed to a two-year obligation to the county.