Getting to know local government Hospital board looks to hire two new physicians

By Molly Moser

The five-member board of Guttenberg Municipal Hospital and Clinics is tasked with keeping the community’s most essential resource thriving. “The hospital is a major institution in the community and each board member sees that and wants to make sure that the institution is healthy and that the community is healthy,” said board chair Karen Merrick. “It’s a municipal hospital, and the people who run it have a real responsibility to the community as a whole.”

Bill Allyn, vice chair of the board, is serving his second four-year term. He has a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and is currently obtaining a master’s in Healthcare Administration from Des Moines University. “My grandfather, Cornelius Tuecke, was one of the founding members of the hospital as he walked door-to-door raising money to start the hospital and also served on the very first board of directors for 18 years. My father Rick Allyn served, I believe, 17 years from the mid 80’s through 2004,” said Allyn. “Healthcare in general is a monster of an industry and for a volunteer board member, the learning curve is straight up – but I really do enjoy it.  I’ve enjoyed jumping in deep and trying to make our hospital better than before… My business background plays a significant role as a board member when looking at the future of our hospital.”

  Sue Osterhaus, secretary and treasurer for the board, is serving her second term. Former mayor and superintendent Russ Loven started his first term in January, but served on the board of the Winneshiek Medical Center (Decorah Hospital) while living in Winneshiek County. "That was probably my best overall preparation, particularly because I was chairman of strategic planning when we began our affiliation with both the Mayo and Gunderson Health Care Systems. Decorah became the first rural affiliate with the Mayo System so that was a great learning experience," said Loven.

Member Janice Andregg, a retired schoolteacher with 44 years experience, has served two terms on the Clayton Ridge School Board, seven years on the planning and zoning board, and is currently on the cemetery board in addition to serving the third year of her first term on the hospital board. She’s been attending Iowa Hospital governance forums for two years and is now an Iowa Hospital Association certified board member.

Merrick was a four-term mayor in Guttenberg and worked for the State of Iowa in economic development. “You learn over the years of the need to listen to multiple voices with multiple ideas,” she reflected. 

The question of alignment occupied the hospital board of trustees for many months, and with that decision made there is freedom to focus more on other necessary activities. “We are now with the Mercy Health Network to help us with management services, and I think that the people who work at the hospital like the services offered by Mercy. They are helping us look closely at our finances and make sure the hospital maintains its health in the future,” said Merrick.

This month the hospital faced another challenge as Dr. Nathan Shaw, who has been employed with GMHC for four years, announced his resignation. Shaw and his wife, Claire, who is studying for a doctorate in nursing, will relocate to Iowa City where he will join the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. 

“The loss of a physician is difficult. We’ve lost physicians before that have moved on to different locations; it’s not a new thing to happen to us. As the wife of a physician, I know that sinking feeling you have when you lose a provider,” said Merrick. “However, when we established our contract with Mercy, part of that contract is the recruitment of physicians. We’ve never been in a position before where we’ve had that kind of assistance. Their network is vast and deep across the state, and they have some ideas. We will go through rigorous work to find those people.” Merrick told The Press that the board hopes to replace Dr. Shaw and add a second new physician as well to help ease the burden on Guttenberg’s hardworking providers. 

In their regular monthly meetings, the board looks over Press Gainey quality measures scored against national averages. Things like patient surveys and post-operative infection rates are scrutinized. “I’ve yet to see anything that would raise an alarm bell for me, and when there is something that isn’t what they want, they attack it immediately,” said Merrick. 

The board also looks at recommendations from GMHC’s own physicians regarding new physicians petitioning to join specialty clinics. Any human resource challenges are brought to their attention. And then, of course, there are the financials – those of the hospital, of Cornerstone Family Practice, and of satellite clinics; number of patient visits and inpatient counts, budget projections, insurance recommendations, and more. 

“There’s always something going on. The managers in the hospital met and developed a basic outline for a new strategic plan and as they push that out, I’m going to be recommending to the board that at the end of each meeting we look at our actions and how they relate to the strategic plan,” said Merrick.

“The bylaws state clearly that the hospital should be involved with the growth of the community – so not just physical health but also economic growth,” she added. “It’s the entire community that has to look at what kind of quality of life we offer to young people. We need to be a lot more aggressive in building and understanding of what millenials want and need, and how we fill those gaps. Now is the time for the hospital and the community to figure out what it is we need to do for communities to thrive and survive into the future.”