A recent letter to the editor about the Hospital Board expressed concern about having members from outside the service area. It is true that due to recent By-Law changes we could have up to two of the eleven board members reside outside the area in the future. Currently, we have one member who resides in Anchorage. He was a long time resident of the Peninsula who served on both the Homer Hospital and the Central Peninsula Hospital Boards. When he was transferred to Anchorage we asked him to consider staying on the Board for a time because of his experience and expertise. The type of financial knowledge that he brings to the Board has added to our ability to thoroughly review the finances of CPH.

Each year in December we advertise openings on the Hospital Board and solicit applications from individuals. A committee of Board members that varies from year to year interviews applicants, checks references, and recommends new members to the full Board. Sometimes we get many good applications. At times we've gotten none. Sometimes we get many people with similar skill sets and are lacking in others. Thus, we now have the ability to have two of the eleven members reside out of the area if we should ever choose to do so. Many hospital boards have this clause in their By-Laws, usually to provide them with specific expertise. For example, we might use the option sometime in the future to find a retired physician or nurse that could add to our debate on the Board. We may not need to do so, but we will continue to seek ways to keep this Board competent, qualified, and able to handle complex policy decisions now and in the future.

Our goal, simply stated, is to make this the best possible facility, run in the most patient-friendly manner, delivering high quality health care to residents of the central Peninsula. In the future we also hope that fewer people have to leave the area to receive the medical treatment that they need.

Check out the CPH website for more information about all aspects of the hospital. It is such a great facility for our small corner of the world, and we are lucky to have a workforce that is talented and dedicated and second to none. Maybe this December you could be a new Board applicant with the skills and time to make CPH even better. Check it out.