Wage hike tops hospital meeting
By Anne Blankenship — Daily Freeman-Journal Staff WriterHamilton Hospital's board of trustees met in closed session Tuesday night to conduct the annual evaluation of Administrator Palmer Schneider.
The closed session came at the end of business during the board's regular monthly meeting. Following the evaluation, the board came back into open session and voted to grant Schneider a wage hike. At the administrator's request, the board held his wage increase to 4 percent, the same percentage given to hospital employees earlier this year. Schneider's new salary will be $121,702.
The board's newest member, Don Bottorff, was given the oath of office. Bottorff was appointed to the board last week to finish the term of Kim Stoakes. Stoakes resigned from the board earlier this year.
The trustees also approved a contract with Dr. Joseph Latella to supervise both the Jewell and Stratford clinics. Schneider said the finance committee had reviewed the financial performance of both clinics and ways to bring the clinics more revenue. Request for Proposals were issued to the two clinics in Webster City and to the two independent physicians. Latella was the only physician to return a proposal. In addition to the basic requirements for physician supervision, Latella outlined services that could help enhance the operations and financial positions of the clinics. Some of those proposals included wellness programs, educational lectures, and developing relationships with area nursing homes. The contract will take effect Oct. 1.
The board also approved a list of surplus goods that will be sold via sealed bids. Included in the sale will be a 1997 white Ford Explorer SUV, treadmills, an icemaker and storage bin, kitchen items, a heavy-duty mixer and a stainless steel food cart. Schneider said all items will be sold "as is" and bids will be taken beginning July 24. Deadline to submit a bid is noon on Aug. 1. All items will be sold to the highest bidder, and the Explorer has a minimum bid requirement of $4400. Bid forms will be available at the hospital switchboard desk. All purchased items must be removed from the hospital by Aug. 6, Schneider said.
A capital budget request in the amount of $6669 was approved for the purchase of a Snap II Complete System. The system monitors the anesthesia level of patients during surgery to make sure they are not too deeply or too lightly anesthetized.
A special board meeting will be held Thursday at noon in the boardroom to hear a progress report from Pope and Associates, the architects working on plans for the new hospital building.
