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Bandon health district race attracts crowd
Thursday, May 14, 2009 | No comments posted.
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Greg Aitchison
Greg Aitchison, 57, is a 26-year Bandon resident.
Greg Aitchison, Southern Coos Health District Board Position 5
• What qualifies you to be a director on the Southern Coos Health District board?
"I have been an elected member of the Southern Coos Health District's board of directors for the past 24 years. This experience has prepared me for dealing with our current national, state and local health financing issues.
"I was a state lottery commissioner for five and a half years and helped develop the proposal that set up and financed a statewide treatment program for compulsive gamblers.
"My medical practice has afforded me experience with both public and private insurers and the harsh realities of the business of health care and its financing."
• Why are you running?
"Our SCHD is vitally important to the people of Bandon. I want to continue to work to keep its doors open, quality of care improving, care offerings expanding and to help assure the health district's long-term viability."
• How would you address the district's financial difficulties?
Continue to expand revenue enhancing services, such as surgical programs, specialty clinic and hospitalists. The hospital should also complete the conversion to digital, computerized charting, medicine dispensing, radiology, lab and billing. These not only save money, but decrease medical errors and enhance patient safety.
He sees a continued need to expand the district's foundation. He wants to expand on savings the hospital can capture through the purchasing power of an alliance with local hospitals.
• What would you like to accomplish if elected?
To capture a greater share of the local health care market by continuing to update, enhance and expand our quality of care.
• What is the most important job of a board member?
"To represent the people of the district in meeting their health care needs in affordable, convenient and safe ways. To not be beholden to special interest groups. To help set policy that gives direction to administration and guarantees high quality of care in a fiscally responsible way."
• Why should people vote for you?
"To keep me working for them and using my experience in their behalf. To keep our hospital open, improving and meeting their needs for the foreseeable future."
• Occupation: Medical doctor, practicing psychiatry and family medicine.
Finances are top priority
Bob Hundhausen
Bob Hundhausen, 70, has lived in Bandon for 10 years.
Bob Hundhausen, Southern Coos Health District Board Position 5
• What qualifies you to be a director on the Southern Coos Health District board?
"I have 25 years working with health care professionals, veterans and their families to provide health care, pension and disability benefits."
• Why are you running?
"As a beneficiary of the services of Southern Coos Hospital, I am concerned about the success and stability of hospital and health care in Bandon. Review of hospital annual reports shows significant losses for at least five years, which cannot be allowed to continue. The hospital staff saved my life and I want to ensure that service will continue for others."
• How would you address the district's financial difficulties?
He would address financial difficulties of the health district by working with other board members and administrators to improve and enhance budget procedures and operations. He would encourage administrators to look to financially stable hospitals as role models.
"I would exercise leadership to: (1) balance the budget while preserving essential services; (2) encourage better inventory control and cross-training of staff to increase efficiency; (3) encourage and promote the best use of Bandon's devoted volunteers, especially the hospital auxiliary and the hospital foundation; (4) support staffing for essential services and competitive compensation; (5) review debt financing to ensure favorable credit ratings and interest rate and (6) review progress and achievement on a regular basis to ensure that goals are being met".
• What would you like to accomplish if elected?
He wants to be part of the solution to the current financial problems.
• What is the most important job of a board member?
"Leadership is the most important job of a hospital director. Leadership means doing the homework, doing the math, talking to the people, comparing similar operations, learning from experience and bringing that experience to make tough decisions."
• Why should people vote for you?
"We must get Southern Coos on the right track and operating in the black!"
• Occupation: retired, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Education: B.A., University of Washington; Masters, Public Administration, University of Puget Sound.
Wants closer look at costs
Stephen Lunt
Stephen Lunt who describes himself as a senior citizen has lived in Bandon for nine years.
Stephen Lunt, Southern Coos Health District Board Position 4
• What qualifies you to be a director on the Southern Coos Health District board?
Served 16 years on hospital boards, and have experience in hospital governance. Iserved on the Ashland Community Hospital board from 1986 to 1996.
During this period, medical staff increased and gross revenues rose from $7 million to $22 million.
Six years on the Southern Coos Hospital board; brought the idea of a foundation to the board; assisted in researching a computer control pharmacy dispensing unit; brought to the board the Stars for Life Christmas giving; responsible for establishing board-restricted fund for money from the care center sale.
• Why are you running?
To carry on bringing new ideas and vision to the board and hospital; to support our continuous improvement of health care and suggest any needed changes; to support our recruiting programs for physicians and new medical specialties to the hospital.
• How would you address the district's financial difficulties?
Recommending across-the-board salary cuts, that overtime be canceled, except for emergencies; no consultant be hired; inventory to be reviewed and lowered. He also wants to place additional controls on waste and unnecessary spending; collection of past due statements; and review of patients' billing for deleted charges or errors.
• What would you like to accomplish if elected?
Keep the hospital open with a strong financial position. Make certain the medical doctor recruitment program continues.
• What is the most important job of a board member?
To bring the finances to a strong positive position, showing the community the hospital will remain for their health care and medical emergencies.
• Why should people vote for you?
"Because of the experience on two hospital boards covering a period of 16 years. When I joined the Ashland hospital board in 1986, the facility had no money in the bank and was within a few months of closing. I worked with the new administrator/CEO, saved the hospital from closing and turned it around to where money was no longer a problem."
• Occupation: retired president and CEO for 24 years of an Oregon corporation.
• Education: Three years college, then went to served four years in World War II in the medical corps.
Hospital must be solvent
Marilyn Noorda
Marilyn Noorda is 70 years old and has been living in Bandon for six years.
Marilyn Noorda, Southern Coos Health District Board Position 4
• What qualifies you to be a director on the Southern Coos Health District board?
"I have worked in administration positions. I have planned budgets. I am very familiar with cash-flow procedures. I was raised by parents who never spent more than they earned.
"I have had accounting as my main profession. I understand the problems when more money is flowing out than collected to pay expenses. Most families are familiar with budgets."
• Why are you running?
She feels she can assist in reducing the revenue losses.
"Our hospital is very important to our community. We require the security of knowing our hospital will be available for our health needs.
"I am asking for your vote so I can add my expertise to the team that will be working to reduce the negative balance of $1.4 million of our Bandon hospital. This will indeed be a challenge."
• How would you address the district's financial difficulties?
The audit of 2008 reflected an additional revenue loss of $954,000, bringing our negative financial balance to $1.4 million.
" I will endeavor to identify problems and work with the board to implement suggestions and therefore improve the 2009 audit."
• What would you like to accomplish if elected?
"My goal is to make a difference and give fresh input; perhaps just insight and observations from a different direction."
• What is the most important job of a board member?
"Working toward making our hospital financially sound."
• Why should people vote for you?
"I feel with my accounting background I can help reduce our losses and eventually bring our hospital to a positive cash flow position."
• Occupation: Retired. Worked as a paralegal, collections accountant, credit manager for Seiko and was co-owner of a small business with her husband in Salt Lake City. Active community volunteerism throughout her life.
• Education: College: business, accounting and legal.
Greg Aitchison
Greg Aitchison, 57, is a 26-year Bandon resident.
Greg Aitchison, Southern Coos Health District Board Position 5• What qualifies you to be a director on the Southern Coos Health District board?
"I have been an elected member of the Southern Coos Health District's board of directors for the past 24 years. This experience has prepared me for dealing with our current national, state and local health financing issues.
"I was a state lottery commissioner for five and a half years and helped develop the proposal that set up and financed a statewide treatment program for compulsive gamblers.
"My medical practice has afforded me experience with both public and private insurers and the harsh realities of the business of health care and its financing."
• Why are you running?
"Our SCHD is vitally important to the people of Bandon. I want to continue to work to keep its doors open, quality of care improving, care offerings expanding and to help assure the health district's long-term viability."
• How would you address the district's financial difficulties?
Continue to expand revenue enhancing services, such as surgical programs, specialty clinic and hospitalists. The hospital should also complete the conversion to digital, computerized charting, medicine dispensing, radiology, lab and billing. These not only save money, but decrease medical errors and enhance patient safety.
He sees a continued need to expand the district's foundation. He wants to expand on savings the hospital can capture through the purchasing power of an alliance with local hospitals.
• What would you like to accomplish if elected?
To capture a greater share of the local health care market by continuing to update, enhance and expand our quality of care.
• What is the most important job of a board member?
"To represent the people of the district in meeting their health care needs in affordable, convenient and safe ways. To not be beholden to special interest groups. To help set policy that gives direction to administration and guarantees high quality of care in a fiscally responsible way."
• Why should people vote for you?
"To keep me working for them and using my experience in their behalf. To keep our hospital open, improving and meeting their needs for the foreseeable future."
• Occupation: Medical doctor, practicing psychiatry and family medicine.
Finances are top priority
Bob Hundhausen
Bob Hundhausen, 70, has lived in Bandon for 10 years.
Bob Hundhausen, Southern Coos Health District Board Position 5• What qualifies you to be a director on the Southern Coos Health District board?
"I have 25 years working with health care professionals, veterans and their families to provide health care, pension and disability benefits."
• Why are you running?
"As a beneficiary of the services of Southern Coos Hospital, I am concerned about the success and stability of hospital and health care in Bandon. Review of hospital annual reports shows significant losses for at least five years, which cannot be allowed to continue. The hospital staff saved my life and I want to ensure that service will continue for others."
• How would you address the district's financial difficulties?
He would address financial difficulties of the health district by working with other board members and administrators to improve and enhance budget procedures and operations. He would encourage administrators to look to financially stable hospitals as role models.
"I would exercise leadership to: (1) balance the budget while preserving essential services; (2) encourage better inventory control and cross-training of staff to increase efficiency; (3) encourage and promote the best use of Bandon's devoted volunteers, especially the hospital auxiliary and the hospital foundation; (4) support staffing for essential services and competitive compensation; (5) review debt financing to ensure favorable credit ratings and interest rate and (6) review progress and achievement on a regular basis to ensure that goals are being met".
• What would you like to accomplish if elected?
He wants to be part of the solution to the current financial problems.
• What is the most important job of a board member?
"Leadership is the most important job of a hospital director. Leadership means doing the homework, doing the math, talking to the people, comparing similar operations, learning from experience and bringing that experience to make tough decisions."
• Why should people vote for you?
"We must get Southern Coos on the right track and operating in the black!"
• Occupation: retired, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
• Education: B.A., University of Washington; Masters, Public Administration, University of Puget Sound.
Wants closer look at costs
Stephen Lunt
Stephen Lunt who describes himself as a senior citizen has lived in Bandon for nine years.
Stephen Lunt, Southern Coos Health District Board Position 4• What qualifies you to be a director on the Southern Coos Health District board?
Served 16 years on hospital boards, and have experience in hospital governance. Iserved on the Ashland Community Hospital board from 1986 to 1996.
During this period, medical staff increased and gross revenues rose from $7 million to $22 million.
Six years on the Southern Coos Hospital board; brought the idea of a foundation to the board; assisted in researching a computer control pharmacy dispensing unit; brought to the board the Stars for Life Christmas giving; responsible for establishing board-restricted fund for money from the care center sale.
• Why are you running?
To carry on bringing new ideas and vision to the board and hospital; to support our continuous improvement of health care and suggest any needed changes; to support our recruiting programs for physicians and new medical specialties to the hospital.
• How would you address the district's financial difficulties?
Recommending across-the-board salary cuts, that overtime be canceled, except for emergencies; no consultant be hired; inventory to be reviewed and lowered. He also wants to place additional controls on waste and unnecessary spending; collection of past due statements; and review of patients' billing for deleted charges or errors.
• What would you like to accomplish if elected?
Keep the hospital open with a strong financial position. Make certain the medical doctor recruitment program continues.
• What is the most important job of a board member?
To bring the finances to a strong positive position, showing the community the hospital will remain for their health care and medical emergencies.
• Why should people vote for you?
"Because of the experience on two hospital boards covering a period of 16 years. When I joined the Ashland hospital board in 1986, the facility had no money in the bank and was within a few months of closing. I worked with the new administrator/CEO, saved the hospital from closing and turned it around to where money was no longer a problem."
• Occupation: retired president and CEO for 24 years of an Oregon corporation.
• Education: Three years college, then went to served four years in World War II in the medical corps.
Hospital must be solvent
Marilyn Noorda
Marilyn Noorda is 70 years old and has been living in Bandon for six years.
Marilyn Noorda, Southern Coos Health District Board Position 4• What qualifies you to be a director on the Southern Coos Health District board?
"I have worked in administration positions. I have planned budgets. I am very familiar with cash-flow procedures. I was raised by parents who never spent more than they earned.
"I have had accounting as my main profession. I understand the problems when more money is flowing out than collected to pay expenses. Most families are familiar with budgets."
• Why are you running?
She feels she can assist in reducing the revenue losses.
"Our hospital is very important to our community. We require the security of knowing our hospital will be available for our health needs.
"I am asking for your vote so I can add my expertise to the team that will be working to reduce the negative balance of $1.4 million of our Bandon hospital. This will indeed be a challenge."
• How would you address the district's financial difficulties?
The audit of 2008 reflected an additional revenue loss of $954,000, bringing our negative financial balance to $1.4 million.
" I will endeavor to identify problems and work with the board to implement suggestions and therefore improve the 2009 audit."
• What would you like to accomplish if elected?
"My goal is to make a difference and give fresh input; perhaps just insight and observations from a different direction."
• What is the most important job of a board member?
"Working toward making our hospital financially sound."
• Why should people vote for you?
"I feel with my accounting background I can help reduce our losses and eventually bring our hospital to a positive cash flow position."
• Occupation: Retired. Worked as a paralegal, collections accountant, credit manager for Seiko and was co-owner of a small business with her husband in Salt Lake City. Active community volunteerism throughout her life.
• Education: College: business, accounting and legal.
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