The Basin Clinic board of directors held their regular monthly meeting Sep. 22 at Hopkins Field, Nucla’s airport.
At the meeting, Executive Director Christina Pierce told the board that the clinic recently hired a CNA to fill staffing vacancies on an as-needed basis.
Pierce also shared updates on other medical professionals who will be temporarily filling roles at the Basin Clinic.
She shared that one candidate became injured and will not be available for several weeks, but more professionals will be available to serve the clinic in coming weeks.
Pierce said she was invited to meet with the Rocky Mountain Health Foundation Board of Directors to inform them about the Basin Clinic’s status. She said the meeting went well, adding that several board members have connections to the West End and, as such, understand the challenges the area faces.
Board secretary Lorraine Garvey said she thinks the clinic’s patients are unhappy with how many different professionals are providing their care. Pierce agreed and stressed the importance of finding a provider to fill a full-time position and provide consistent care soon.
Board member Don Colcord inquired about offering higher wages for the position to incentivize a provider to move to the area and serve patients at the clinic full-time. He acknowledged that funds to do so may be limited, but said that a high offer may motivate a provider to move to the area for the position.
“To get someone to move to this area, sometimes you have to pay them quite a bit more than other places,” said Colcord.
Board president Chris Daniels pointed out that if voters approve the hospital district in November, more funding will be available to make such an offer.
Pierce acknowledged that the clinic loses candidates due to less competitive pay offers and the clinic’s remote location. She said she has been comparing the Basin Clinic’s wage offer to offers in surrounding areas. She said the high end of wages for physicians assistants or nurse practitioners on the Western Slope was $165,000. The highest the Basin Clinic is offering for the positions is $150,000, and the amount offered depends on the provider’s experience.
The board discussed their campaign to organize a hospital district and build a critical access hospital (CAH).
Garvey said supporters of the proposal have been meeting with members of the public to share information on the proposal. She also said they “pretty much have” the wording of the proposal for the ballot.
Pierce added the ballot wording is now waiting on approval from Montrose County, and said information for and against the measure will be published in the Blue Book.
Garvey said the campaign is moving forward, adding that “a number of people in the community are helping with that.”
The board discussed their policies and noted that they don’t have a “whistleblower” policy. Although a whistleblower policy isn’t required, board member Randi Latham said not having one may look bad to the IRS. The board discussed adding a whistleblower policy to an existing policy and decided to ask consultant Jason McCormick for more information on the matter.
Although September’s meeting took place on the fourth Tuesday of the month, regular meetings are scheduled for the third Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. Meetings are open to the public and have a public comment portion at the beginning. Members of the public can attend meetings in person at Nucla’s airport, or over Zoom.
