KVHD board of directors and executive officers. Photo by Catherine Stachowiak
During the Kern Valley Hospital board meeting, Thursday January 9, the previous Emergency Room closure became a topic of concern.
Board director for Kern Valley Healthcare District, John Blythe asked if the hospital was going to be penalized for closing the ER the night of December 28.
Chief Executive Officer Tim McGlew told Blythe that he notified EMS and the State entity California Department of Public Health and had worked with EMS. McGlew stated that the hospital handled the event correctly. These issues happen especially with rural hospitals
Chief Nursing Officer Mark Gordon said the state was satisfied with how the hospital dealt with the issue on the night they closed the ER.
McGlew said, “It’s the first time in 45 years that I had to close a department like that. We don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
Board director Ross Elliott said that the policy and personnel committee talked about the event, in depth, and is confident this issue would never happen again.
Gordon said he devised a float pool, with a three-hour window, for staff to fill in on a shift, if there is ever a sick-call coming in before any shift. This was a solution he found to prevent the ER from ever having to close again.
Board chair Katheryn Elconin said she received a complaint email from the spouse of someone who came into the hospital, when the ER was closed, and the doctor wanted to transfer the patient by ambulance. It turned out the patient had an emergency surgery after he was transferred to another facility.
The issue of Kern Valley Hospital closing its ER happened when, during the holidays, some staff was out of town, while others called in sick, so that not enough RNs would be available to work, although a doctor and technician were still available, and an RN was on call for emergencies after their shift concluded. McGlew and Elconin assured the press that, during the closure, transfer services through ambulance and copter were still available.
