Humboldt General Hospital's board of trustees unanimously approved purchase of several pieces of equipment at the last board meeting and approved purchase of property at 1145 Harmony Road.
• Orthopedic power system: Humboldt General Hospital's surgery department got the go-ahead to purchase an orthopedic power system for $21,591.45. The equipment is primarily for ligament repairs and will also be valuable for repairs on shoulders and other orthopedic procedures. The surgical department has been trying this equipment on a borrowed basis.
The orthopedic power system looks a lot like a portable drill and, in a similar manner, has a number of attachments that expand the capabilities of the surgical equipment. It is lightweight at just a little over half a pound.
The equipment would be used for orthopedic applications by Dr. John Meyers, who comes to Winnemucca from Elko on a regular schedule for clinic and surgeries. The equipment can also be useful to general surgeons for specific applications.
• A ligature generator was approved for uses in surgery and the obstetrics department. The ligature generator can cut and seal vessels without the doctor having to do separate procedures. This benefits patients by reducing time in the operating room and time under anesthesia. The equipment is used for laparascopic and open surgery and can be updated with additional software.
The staff received in-service training with the new equipment, which will be used primarily by HGH primary surgeons Dr. Paul Gaulin, who was already familiar with a ligature generator, and Dr. Stanley Pence, who attended the in-service training. General practice physicians, Drs. Leonard Perkinson and Brad Granath, expressed their interest in training with the new equipment. The $27,675 ligature generator has a seven-year lifespan; software is purchased separately.
• New nurse call system: Harmony Manor long term care facility at HGH needs to replace its nurse call system, board members were told. Harmony Manor nurse manager Robin Gillis said in addition to improving communication, the new call system will be able to expand with the facility.
The new call system will be more efficient and will provide information allowing management and staff to evaluate their performance in answering the calls.
Individual pagers will allow personnel to receive notification that they're needed no matter where they are in the facility.
The cost for the new nurse call system is $69,600.
• 1145 Harmony Road property purchase: The board had previously approved for hospital CEO Jim Parrish and legal counsel to negotiate for purchase of the property on the same block the hospital occupies and near the hospital. Humboldt County commissioners had also given their approval.
The property owner agreed to a purchase price that matched the appraised value of the property, $282,000. The hospital and owner will share in the closing costs.
Board counsel Kent Maher said, "The house is in great shape, it's been remodeled, has relatively new appliances and it's very clean."
Parrish agreed, adding it is ready to house resident physicians.
Board member Ed Hopfer asked where the resident physicians live now.
"We rent wherever we can," Parrish said. "Sometimes it's hard and sometimes it's pretty expensive. We think we can save about $1,800 a month or so."[[In-content Ad]]
