Hospital board approves ambulance increase

At their Dec. 18 meeting, the Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees approved an ambulance service contract with a six percent increase.

Hospital CEO Margie Molitor explained the hospital bills for ambulance service, and pays the service for any runs that are made. She noted the service has not had any increases in the past three years. Additionally, new quality measures were incorporated into the contract, particularly in regard to heart attacks, strokes and trauma.

In other action, the board approved extending a contract to Todd Wilder of Byron and Arete Design Group of Sheridan as building representatives for the hospital’s renovation and expansion. Molitor noted they would be local representatives for the project, a set of eyes and ears to make sure everything is going correctly. The project is in the final steps of secured financing.

The board also approved the infection prevention program. Under the policy contained in the program, the hospital will maintain a facility wide system for identifying, reporting, investigating and controlling infections and communicable diseases of patients and personnel, with an emphasis on prevention.

Under the program definitions of healthcare associated infection and communicable diseases will be used for surveillance, identification, investigating, and reporting and controlling infection and communicable diseases of patients and staff. It will have consistent and acceptable measures for identifying staff and patients at risk for infection and communicable diseases, as well as obtaining reports on such people in a timely manner and acceptable measure for prevention of infection.

The program also calls for safe and sanitary environments and practices so as to prevent the transmission of infections and communicable diseases, and working with state and local emergency response in incidents of bioterrorism.