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Fred Cooper, current chairman of the Southeast Volusia Hospital District Board, won the votes of his Halifax•Fish peers Tuesday to lead the HFCH Board of Directors into 2004. Cooper succeeds Halifax District Chair Glenn Ritchey under the rotation policy followed by the System.
In addition to Cooper’s chairmanship, Board members elected Don Quinn as Vice Chairman, Jeannie Vogel as Secretary, Vivi Cloar as Assistant Secretary and William McGee as Treasurer.
Fellow HFCH Board member Mori Hosseini supported Cooper’s nomination for the chairman post, and asked him to declare his commitment to the Halifax•Fish affiliation. Cooper answered he’s never demonstrated anything but “complete and total commitment’’ to the liaison of both hospitals, although he hasn’t been afraid to ask questions and speak his mind.
“I’m not going to be an obstacle but I’m not going to be a ‘yes man,’’’ Cooper told his colleagues.
“I will go out of my way to make this affiliation work smoothly, and I will make a special effort to be less obstinate,’’ he added, with a smile.
Before the vote, Ritchey noted the separate boards representing Halifax and Bert Fish medical centers have been meeting independently for several months discussing, in part, matters relating to the Affiliation that was accomplished before most current members had been appointed to their respective District boards. Ritchey said these discussions led to a joint strategic planning meeting held mainly in executive session on Monday, at which, he said, “We confirmed our commitment to providing quality healthcare to all the citizens of our community, and whether through purchasing (efficiencies) or whatever, to strengthen our potential cost savings, so we can all move forward and have a great next year and a great finish to this year.’’
In looking ahead to future meetings, a Board majority adopted a motion by member Mori Hosseini to tape record its proceedings as an audio reference. Some members expressed concern that the recordings might inhibit full and candid discussion, but the majority agreed with Hosseini that being able to hear the proceedings would provide a better understanding both of actions and the sense of the Board discussions.
Area media were advised at the conclusion of the Board meeting that in the combinedand-closed Monday meeting several decisions were reached that were not covered by exemptions to Florida’s “Sunshine” statutes. These were that the HFCH Board would shift its meetings from a monthly to quarterly basis starting in January 2004 and that the District Boards would meet to focus on policy issues in their districts in the other months. They requested HFCH CEO Ron Rees to focus his attentions on System operations and expanded the role of Chief Operating Officer Jeff Feasel to include direct supervision of Bert Fish Medical Center operations.
In other business issues, Rees reported on System activities, including:
- Phase I of a new, 10,000-square foot addition to the Bert Fish Medical Center (BFMC) Emergency Department is scheduled for a state inspection next week and willto the public soon after.
- Florida Health Care Plans has set the dates for its Funcoast Classic games for the 2003-2004 school year. The games showcase the best high school senior athletes in Volusia and Flagler counties with events in volleyball, football, soccer and basketball. The first event, a Volleyball Classic, is scheduled for Nov. 18 at Spruce Creek High School.
- BFMC recently performed its 96th kidney transplant sinceng in July 1999.
- The Regional Oncology Center and HMC were given the Jean Byers Award by the Florida Cancer data System for excellence in the submission of cancer registry data. The FCDS is a statewide cancer surveillance system created by legislative mandate in 1978 to collect incidence data on all cancer cases seen in Florida. The data are used to observer cancer trends and provide a research base for studies into possible causes of the disease. To receive the Jean Byers Award, facilities must have a high level of accuracy, submit complete data and ensure all cases are reported prior to the June 30 deadline each year.
- The Meditech Operating Room Module, which includes scheduling, case cart pick sheets and online documentation using “computers on wheels’’ has been implemented successfully in BFMC’s operating rooms.
- October 2003 was the busiest month on record in HMC’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab, with 255 cases completed. The busiest October in prior years occurred in 2000, when the Lab did 252 procedures.
The HFCH Board also was briefed on the ongoing activities of the Foundations and Auxiliaries representing Bert Fish and Halifax medical centers.
- HMC Foundation President Glenn Ritchey said at least 780 attendees are expected for the Nov. 12 Humanitarian Dinner honoring Betty Jane France, first lady of NASCAR and a benefactor of the Speediatrics Unit at Halifax. Ritchey estimated the group has secured underwriting of more than $150,000 for the event, a portion of which plus all revenue from the sold-out attendance will go to support the creation of the planned Betty Jane France Center of Excellence for Children and Women. Ritchey paid special tribute to the officers and members of the HMC Auxiliary, which provided initial support for the Center and dinner in the amount of $25,000. Ritchey also announced that the Foundation is partnering with NASCAR and the LPGA to sponsor the NASCAR/LPGA Classic Pro-Am Golf Tournament as a fund-raiser for the Betty Jane France Center. The event will pair NASCAR celebrities with LPGA pros and participating players as successor to a tournament traditionally held prior to the Daytona 500. He thanked Joe Petrock, director of community relations for Halifax•Fish, for his hard work on both the Humanitarian Dinner and the upcoming golf tournament benefit.
- Nelson Jones, BFMC Foundation chairman, said the BFMC Foundation has agreed to accept an endowment of $150,000 that has been established through a bequest from Charles and Elaine Meyer. The Meyer endowment will provide scholarships for high school students who pursue a career in nursing, and the gift makes the couple inaugural members of the Foundation’s new Benefactors’ Society that recognizes gifts of $100,000 or more. In addition, Jones reported his Foundation has received state approval to offer charitable gift annuities, and is planning an aviation-theme fund-raiser Jan. 18 at Massey Ranch Airpark in Edgewater, as well as the next Patrons Society Gala March 27.
- BFMC Auxiliary President Ginny Galasieski stood in for President-Elect Faye Caddell in reporting that Auxiliary members enjoyed their Oct. 9 “sneak preview’’ of Bert Fish’s new Emergency Room, and will be installing their 2004 slate of officers on Nov. 11. The group’s annual Lights of Love fund-raiser will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 4, in the lobby of the William W. Schildecker Outpatient Center. BFMC Auxiliary members worked a total of 8,684 hours during October. HMC Auxiliary President Bob Cornforth said his group is having a uniform sale Nov. 16-18, as well as a “Phantasia’’ jewelry sale Dec. 19 and a CPR training class for Auxiliary members on Jan. 10. HMC Auxiliary members worked a total of 7,463 hours during October.
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