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Indian Valley Record Wednesday, July 27, 2011 9A
Mona Hill
Staff Writer
mhill@plumasnews.corn
Plurnas District Hospital's
new Chief Executive Officer
Douglas Lafferty spent last
week meeting with hospital
personnel and district board
members.
Because of previous family
commitments, Lafferty will be
out of town until Aug. 7, when
he will take up the reins full
time.
He took some time to talk to
Feather Publishing about his
initial plans, personally and
professionally•
FB: "It's early days yet and
you're still assessing the situ-
ation here and how it was pre-
sented to you in the recruit-
ment process. You know that
we have some real challenges:
the facility, recruiting and re-
taining physicians. What are
your goals for the hospital;
where do you want to start
f'u-st? Are you thinking m
terms of any sort of collabora-
tion with Eastern Plumas or
Chester and are you going to
hire a CFO?"
DL: "I think the hospital is
stable, but clearly it's not
growing and we're going to
have to get stronger.
"I think the message to the
community is that this hospi-
tal is not different than almost
any other hospital in this
country. Health care is in a
difficult time.
"There's not something
unique or difficult or some-
thing anybody's done bad
here, we're just in a difficult
time.
"The thing that's facing us
first, that we have to do be-
cause we just can't get around
it is the old computer systems.
It's costly, it's going to be con-
suming in time and effort and
implementation. We really
need to have it implemented
by July of next year.
"Beyond that we're looking
at all the operations in the or-
ganization. Clearly, we're not
making a lot of money; that's
part of what impacts this
whole building program.
"I think that's what I bring
to it -- there's nothing special
about me but it's a set of
eyes coming in to it from out-
side that's looking at it with-
out any history."
"We need more physicians; we
need to broaden our services; we
need to offer things we've not of-
fered before or haven't offered
for a while, because it will better
serve the community. They
won't have to run to Reno or
Chico or Paradise or somewhere
else to get it.
"It will give us a stronger,
healthier financial base; it will
help the community financial-
ly. There's just ripple effect
throughout the community.
"So one piece is going to be
the efficiencies, we've got to
do that. The second piece is
the growth. I think that's
where the future's going to be
and the physicians and that
kind of thing. That's going to
be the push.
"As to the CFO, I don't have
an answer on that. I have a
bias that this organization is
neither large enough nor
financially strong enough that
it needs somebody at that lev-
el -- that's a lot of power for
an organization of this size.
"But there are things that
have to be cared for that are
outside of what we've normal-
ly done in the finance depart-
ment. Somebody's going to be
monitoring all the financial
regulations and changes and
CMS stuff and all of that that
comes down.
"So, we're evaluating the
role, the staff that are here,
the options. Do we upgrade
the staff that ar6 here so the
controller we have, who is
very talented and very skilled
and experienced, has time and
could pick up that? Or, do we
go out and bring somebody
else in?"
FP: "And addressing the seis-
mic retrofit, new hospital, ex-
pansion?"
DL: "Number one, we're seis-
mically good for an ongoing
period of time; we're not star-
mg at a deadline tomorrow.
"I came from a facility
where we have to vacate one
of my hospitals by January
2013 or a major construction
project that would have to be
done by 2015. That's a dead-
line I don't have here.
"We have what you find
across the country: a 1960s-era
building, built under the Hill-
Burton Act funds. All those
generation hospitals were
done that way and they're all
now coming to this point.
There's lots of us facing this
issue.
"I think we need a new
facility for lots of reasons: pri-
vate rooms, efficiencies, seis-
mic, attracting new physi-
cians -- all those reasons.
"My first goal is to repair
the political damage that has
been done over the last two or
three years. I have a little
sense of that. I don't know
why it all happened; it doesn't
matter why it all happened.
But it happened.
"I think we're going to have
a hard time going forward un-
til we do two or three things.
"One, I think we've got to
enhance the financial status
of this facility. Without a good
bottom line, it doesn't matter
what we want, it's not going to
happen. So, that's why we're
starting on that agenda with
physicians and operations
and all of that.
"Two, simultaneously,
we've got to repair our rela-
tionship with the community.
That's why I'd like to have
more in whatever form it
takes -- public communica-
tion.
"I expect, and I've already
talked to the board, to hold a
community townhall (meet-
ing), I hope before Septem-
ber's over. We're trying to fig-
ure out the best place for that
to be, probably better on an
open, neutral ground than
here.
"I expect to be on the circuit
as long and as often as the ser-
vice clubs will have me.
"We're going to go out there
and tell the story and I
don't want to go out there and
tell the story just as propagan-
da.
"I want to be talking to people
and building those communi-
cation inroads so they say,
'OK, we can trust 'em; there's
transparency there.'
"In the meantime, I've had a
lot of hospital construction ex-
perience and (facilities direc-
tor) Dan (Brandes) and I are
going to be looking at the
plans. I've got to get up to
speed on that.
"I would expect that by
spring or summer next year
we're going to have to come
back and say, 'OK, what's the
plan? Where do we go?'
"We don't have the money
now to do it completely. !
think to go and ask the com-
munity to pony up right now
without having done a lot of
work probably wouldn't be
prudent•"
FP: "What about collabora-
tion with EPHC and Seneca?
There's been a lot of talk
around that we don't need
three hospitals in Plumas
County, they could all work
together•"
DL: "Well work together
doesn't mean you don't have
three hospitals. I think there's
two or three avenues.
"I'll be honest, I haven't
done anything with it. Linda
(Jamison), as the interim
(CEO), has had some commu-
nication and so I know about
that much about it.
"I need to get out and meet
those folks and talk with them
and see where they are.
"You know, I think to work
together and have a working
relationship is great. (But) to
have which(ever) community
say, 'We don't need our hospi-
tal' ... not a one of them.
"The board talked to me a
little bit about that. I think
there are areas where we can
have greater efficiencies. It
may well be, for example, pur-
chasing.
"We do almost all purchas-
ing today electronically. It
wouldn't be a big deal to have
all purchasing for all facilities
in one location. We all pretty
much use the same buyer
groups and say we'll share
that cost.
"You could do something
similar on accounts receiv-
able and that kind of thing.
"Where the rubber hits the
road or the angst comes in is
to say, 'OK, you do all of this
and I'll do all of that.'
"The facility I come from,
bigger than this hospital, I did
that. We had two hospitals
and I made one OB and the
other med-surg, but they were
in the same town, two miles
apart.
"You know, we've got an av-
erage daffy census of three.
Theirs is probably that or
less. So to start parceling off
services and say, 'I'll do radi-
ology and you don't' -- you
can't do that.
"I don't know where the
service sharing or splitting
would come. We'll talk and
see where it goes. I think on
the support service side
there might be some areas
for working together. I don't
know, kind of a blank page
on that, but I don't foresee
anything happening
drastically on that in the
near future."
I
I'
H
I
I
i
in
Someone has been imper-
sonating a health inspector,
and it has area restaurants
worried.
"The Plumas County De-
partment of Environmental
Health has become aware of a
fraud scheme targeting food
facilities imPiumas County,"
• i
Jerry Slpe, Environmental
Health director said.
There are media reports of
the scam extending through-
out Canada and California. A
number of restaurants in
Plumas County have recently
received telephone calls from
a person claiming to be a
"state health inspector" intro-
ducing a new procedure for
arranging a health inspection.
The phony health inspector
asks the business owner to
follow a procedure to get a
special "code" to confirm the
upcoming inspection. Later
the business owner receives a
second call asking for the
confirmation code. Of course, does this to establish a bogus
there is no such inspection online account to be used in
and no real inspector ever ar- other fraud schemes.
rives. Food facilities' own-
This phony inspector ere/operators need to be
scheme is part of a larger aware of this scam and should
fraud involving setting up protect themselves from this
"verified" accounts with ana- fraudulent action by under-
tional online auction service, standing: Environmental
The purpose of the code re- Health typically does not an-
quest is to get the small busS- nounce inspections in ad-
ness owner to provide false vance, will not call in advance
verification to the online auc- of an inspection to request in-
tion service. The fraud artist formation or to schedule an
inspection• (There may be
rare exceptions.)
Environmental Health has
not developed a new inspec-
tion procedure, Any caller
identifying himself/herself as
a "state health inspector" ask-
in,g, someone to pa icipate in
a code proce~equegting
account information or solic-
iting other information is part
of a fraud scheme.
ff you do not recognize your
inspector, ask for proper
photo identification.
Never give out personal or
business identification infor-
mation over the phone unless
you are certain of the identity
of the person with whom you
are speaking.
If you have any questions
contact Plumas County Envi-
ronmental Health at 283-6355;
if you receive one of these
fraudulent calls, contact the
Plumas County Sheriff's
Office•
COMMUNITY
CORNER
W E E K LY C A L E N DA R Roundhouse Council, 330
Bush St., Greenville, 284-6866.
Greenville Rotary, 6 p.m., In-
Thursday, July 28 Feather River Coordinated dian Valley Community Center
Plumas Alcohol, Tobacco Resource Management Conference Room, Highway 89,
and Other Drug Coalition, 1Group, call for time and loea- Greenville.
p.m., Courthouse Annex, tion, 283-3739. Indian Valley Riding and
Greenville Public Library
204 Ann St. • 284-7416
Mon., Tues., Wed.:
10 a.m.-1 p.m., 1:30-5:30p.m.
CHURCHES
Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Seventh-Day Adventist, 310-2042, Hwy.
Saints, 284-7517 or 284-1414, Hideway 89, next to Sierra Sunrise, Greenville.
Rd., Greenville.
Southern Baptist, 284-7522, 241
Quincy. AA, 7 p.m., First LutheranRoping Club, 6p.m., Potluck Thursday: First Baptist, 284-7714,133 Hot Springs Greenville Wolf Creek Rd., Greenville.
Workshop for Plumas Church, Bush Street,and meeting in the Clubhouse12 n m 4 n m 4"30 7"30 n m Rd.. Greenville.
Artists,~2-4:30 p.m., Greenville Greenville. at the Taylorsville Rodeo r..- ~.., • - • ~. - St. Anthony's Catholic
Southern Baptist Church, Grounds, 284-7696 or 283-1953. Friday: Christ the Redeemer Church, 284-1003, Father Larry Beck. Jessie Street,
120 Bush St., Greenville, ctranglican.org. Greenville. 283-0890. Sunday Mass, 11
Greenville Wolf Creek Road, Tuesday, Aug. 2 9:30 a.m.-lp.m., 1:30-5 p.m. a.m.; Thursday Mass, noon.
284-7069. Plumas County Museum, First Lutheran, 284-7683, 116 Bush St.,
Greenville Cemetery Dis- 1:30 p.m., 500 Jackson St., Greenville. CommunityUnitedMsthodistChurchee
triet, 6:30 p.m., Greenville Quincy. Today's Weather of Greenville and Taylorsville, 284-7316,
Town Hall on Bidwe]l Street. California Women in Tim- ~ Greenville Assembly of God, 284-6586, 212 Pine St., Greenville and Nelson & War-
AA Big Book/Step Study, 7 her, 6 p.m., Quincy Library, Forgay & Setzer, Greenville. ren St., Taylorsville.
p.m., First Baptist Church, Hot 283-1205. ;i(~,:~7.: ] : ~61 [~ ; ....
Springs Road, Greenville. Indian Mission Full Gospel, N. Valley Christ the Redeemer Church, 284-1003,
I Rd., Greenville. First Lutheran, 120 Bush St., Greenville.,
Wednesday, Aug. 3 ~,: --~¢;,~: ='~-: ] ~:~ c: ctrandlican.org.
Friday, July 29 Indian Valley Collaborative,
Kingdom Hall Of Jehovah's Witnesses,
Sewing, Crafts and Coffee, 10 a.m., Roundhouse Council 84/57 I 87158 I 87/58 [ 85/58 ] 81157 I
10:30 a.m.-noon, Taylorsville 330 Bush St., Greenville, 284- s~.ny~su.ny .~s [Sunshlne. Highsin I More sun than i Abundant sunshine. [ 284-6006,1192 N. Valley Rd., Greenville. Lord's Chapel, 284-1852, 168 Hannon
mid 80S and lews in the upper 8Os and I ~5~s=~e I H~hs in the I°w 8Os~et ~ ~
Community United Methodist 1560. thsuppar50s, idwsintheuppo~rd ar~llewsintheup- Ave., Indian Falls.
____ o I
or 284-7670. a.m., Plumas County Court- S,n,.. S,,..t S.nrise 8S~lse, Sun.. Sun.,
Elders' luncheon, noon; house, Boardof Supervisors I~:~ed~:':
board meeting, 2 p.m. Round- meeting room, Quincy, 284-
house Council, 330 Bush St.6668.
Greenville, 284-6866. Bingo, 10:30 a.m., at the [California At A Glance Moon Phases [ I 1.5 ~--T'--'~;~7/~'~;" ..... q-" 1., ]
Friday Night for Teens, 7-10 Greenville Senior NutritionI I I '" I
p.m., at the Indian Valley Com- Site, Green Meadows Housing sunny k ~i" I
munity Center, Highway 89, Development off Hot Springs
Greenville, across from Pine Road. CaU a day ahead for ride ]6.l"aO'm"' ' I
Street. Ca11284-1560. and lunch reservations, 284- [ eenville I • a,~ 2:J'~m.'8
: 84/57 ~ ~ Reddin ak
Monday, Aug. 1
" ~--"(~I~ ;, i 7/7 I
6088.Family Night, 5:30 ,I t t~} I I i it "' I
P'm" I ~k~X=m~i~en'° Fimt Full ]
Greenville Cy Hall Memo-
rial Museum, 5 p.m., Corner LAST WEEK'S I s ,u ,a II .. ! V I
TEMPERATUI~S [[ ;;5~ ~ Wed 7/27 ~ Very High II' I X ~*" {QuIflcY' • ~~1~10:$$gp'm']
O' M~ and Main streets, S.n .~. OV,n..x
Greenville, 284-7224. ~ ! ! ,---c~i~o x _ i .... ? N I ~' I
i 2.2 ~__~t~%• ~ x A ~ "Ponola : ll I . I
I ~ Thu 7,28. VeryHigh I I 5:4;la2m'-'----'-~'- ~ _~ X~~ t& I
DATE HIGH LOW I Fri 7/29~VeryHig, I I .-' I .la' -"
LAKE LEVELS July 18 78 46
July 19 80 49 [ Sat 7130 ~ Very High I '~ /--'~'-- ~i'J i~" "~l'--- ' ke'T t~tlk~arson CRyI
'iii ii:: LOS~ i~ .... Sun 7,s, • r~ ~ ,./ ..,_;, ,,il~'