July 9- 15, 2020
Gordon Spurlock and his wife, Jean, drove to the front of the hospital to get a free Covid test Wednesday. A quick tickle of each nostril And about 20 seconds later they were on their way. Test results take five to seven days. The state-sponsored testing began Wednesday.
Face masks promoted
“Masks are the best way to protect your community and employees,” Granite County Public Health Nurse Debbie Robinson said at last week’s coronavirus Incident Management Team meeting.
She noted that all positive cases so far in the county are related to the first case reported in the county. Of the four positive cases as of Monday afternoon, two are teenagers and two are middle aged. They will be coming out of quarantine this week, Robinson told the Mail.
Granite County Board of Health Chair Mark Ransford told the Mail Monday morning there were no new developments to report, adding that most of those who had been in quarantine were now out of quarantine or would be out this week.
Hospital levy to be voted on despite optimistic outlook
The Granite County Hospital District Board of Directors voted to place a question on the November ballot asking for a levy of $380,000 for two years, despite a somewhat optimistic view of anticipated hospital revenue for the coming fiscal year. The amount requested for the levy, and the duration of the levy, are the same as what was asked for the last time the issue was put on the ballot, and approved.
“I said that the budget would show us the need for a levy, and it has,” said Board Member and Finance Committee Chair John Barbara.
JCCS Accountant Brenda Peyton, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Nursing (CEO/DON) Maria Stoppler, and Barbara met to put together the projected budget, after consultations with department heads and staff, and Peyton briefed the Board on the process of developing the revenue projections.
“We took a historical look at our utilization. We went back three fiscal years, and then our current fiscal year through the end of April. So about ten months. We took a look at the averages there, tried to project what we felt like the utilization going forward is going to be, and then we applied our upcoming rates to those items,” Peyton said.
Peyton told the Board that the gross patient revenue for the coming fiscal year was projected to be just under $5 million.
“I know that’s a pretty shocking number when you guys first look at it,” Peyton said.
'Sentinel' testing begins at Medical Center
Drive through testing for COVID-19 became available for asymptomatic persons on Wednesday July 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Granite County Medical Center (GCMC) for anyone wishing to be tested. There is no need to call prior to coming for a test, and testing is done right from your vehicle, so there is no need to even leave your car. To avoid traffic issues, the hospital requested that people driving in for testing come into the hospital via College Street and out via Sansome Street.
The testing is available in Philipsburg on Wednesdays and Thursdays through July, and is done outside at the drive through circle in front of the hospital. The hospital also planned to start testing in Drummond on Tuesdays beginning on July 7. The tests are paid for by the state of Montana.
Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maria Stoppler reported to the Hospital Board last Tuesday that with four positive cases reported in Granite County, as of that date, Public Health was busy with contact tracing, notifying those that need to be tested, tracking results, and following up with each quarantined individual on a daily basis.
“Even if someone is a direct contact and they test negative, they still need to quarantine for 14 days to see if they have symptoms, and if they develop symptoms they would be re-tested,” Stoppler said.
The CEO told Hospital Board Members that even though the Governor dispensed information, and asked for facilities to offer the drive through free state sponsored testing several weeks ago, to her knowledge, GCMC was among the few to do so thus far. She said that calls had been coming in from Missoula, Anaconda and Butte from people inquiring about the free testing.
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Face masks promoted
“Masks are the best way to protect your community and employees,” Granite County Public Health Nurse Debbie Robinson said at last week’s coronavirus Incident Management Team meeting.
She noted that all positive cases so far in the county are related to the first case reported in the county. Of the four positive cases as of Monday afternoon, two are teenagers and two are middle aged. They will be coming out of quarantine this week, Robinson told the Mail.
Granite County Board of Health Chair Mark Ransford told the Mail Monday morning there were no new developments to report, adding that most of those who had been in quarantine were now out of quarantine or would be out this week.
Hospital levy to be voted on despite optimistic outlook
The Granite County Hospital District Board of Directors voted to place a question on the November ballot asking for a levy of $380,000 for two years, despite a somewhat optimistic view of anticipated hospital revenue for the coming fiscal year. The amount requested for the levy, and the duration of the levy, are the same as what was asked for the last time the issue was put on the ballot, and approved.
“I said that the budget would show us the need for a levy, and it has,” said Board Member and Finance Committee Chair John Barbara.
JCCS Accountant Brenda Peyton, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Nursing (CEO/DON) Maria Stoppler, and Barbara met to put together the projected budget, after consultations with department heads and staff, and Peyton briefed the Board on the process of developing the revenue projections.
“We took a historical look at our utilization. We went back three fiscal years, and then our current fiscal year through the end of April. So about ten months. We took a look at the averages there, tried to project what we felt like the utilization going forward is going to be, and then we applied our upcoming rates to those items,” Peyton said.
Peyton told the Board that the gross patient revenue for the coming fiscal year was projected to be just under $5 million.
“I know that’s a pretty shocking number when you guys first look at it,” Peyton said.
'Sentinel' testing begins at Medical Center
Drive through testing for COVID-19 became available for asymptomatic persons on Wednesday July 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Granite County Medical Center (GCMC) for anyone wishing to be tested. There is no need to call prior to coming for a test, and testing is done right from your vehicle, so there is no need to even leave your car. To avoid traffic issues, the hospital requested that people driving in for testing come into the hospital via College Street and out via Sansome Street.
The testing is available in Philipsburg on Wednesdays and Thursdays through July, and is done outside at the drive through circle in front of the hospital. The hospital also planned to start testing in Drummond on Tuesdays beginning on July 7. The tests are paid for by the state of Montana.
Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Maria Stoppler reported to the Hospital Board last Tuesday that with four positive cases reported in Granite County, as of that date, Public Health was busy with contact tracing, notifying those that need to be tested, tracking results, and following up with each quarantined individual on a daily basis.
“Even if someone is a direct contact and they test negative, they still need to quarantine for 14 days to see if they have symptoms, and if they develop symptoms they would be re-tested,” Stoppler said.
The CEO told Hospital Board Members that even though the Governor dispensed information, and asked for facilities to offer the drive through free state sponsored testing several weeks ago, to her knowledge, GCMC was among the few to do so thus far. She said that calls had been coming in from Missoula, Anaconda and Butte from people inquiring about the free testing.
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