Hospital District  Trustees.  Term is four years; there is no term limit.  No salary or benefits are offered. There are four seats available; all candidates are elected at large.  Those elected will join Dan Baccari, Julie Bandemer and Shelbie Bershinsky, whose terms are not up.   C.L. Burton and Terry Roark are incumbents running for re-election; those seeking their first term are: Anne Alexander, Frank Cylvick, Sidney Peters, Christine M. Rodriguez,  and  Jason M. Tangeman.
 
Biographical Information:
 
Anne Alexander:   She has lived in Laramie since 1993.  She received her bachelor’s in international business and economics and master’s in economics from New Mexico State University, and her PhD in economics from UW.  She is now director of international programs at UW.  In 2002-2003, Anne served as a AAAS Diplomacy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State in the Bureau of African Affairs.  Her experience in health policy includes work being Director of the Health Economics Policy Center at UW, where she facilitated cross-disciplinary policy research and taught health economics. 

 

C.L. Burton:  I have lived and worked in Albany County 51 of the last 54 years. In 1961 I graduated from University High School and earned a B.S. in business from UW in 1965. I was a founder of Rocky Mountain Forest Products and have served on the First Interstate and First National Bank board of directors. I currently serve on the IMH Board of Trustees as Chairman of the Finance Committee and Treasurer of  IMH and was appointed in July 2005 as the seventh trustee as per newly enacted Wyoming hospital board statute.

 

Frank Cylvick: I was born and raised in NYC and Long Island NY.  I was educated in electronics and owned and operated several businesses in that field for 40 years. I employed as many as 140 people.   Most of my business experience was building electronic equipment for the military.  During the past 15 years I also developed and manufactured emergency medical rescue products.  I own a business in Laramie, and my wife and I have lived in Centennial for 11 years.
 
Sidney Peters:  Laramie is my home town.  I’m a University High School graduate and my heart is here.  My employment history includes ten years of marketing.  Twelve years ago, I became a Registered Nurse after graduating with honors from the University of Massachusetts at Boston.  For four years I served in the United States Air Force Nurse Corps.  At hospitals in Denver, San Diego, and Boston I gained valuable experience, advanced training and observed various approaches to health care.  Since returning to Laramie five years ago, I’ve worked as a staff nurse.  I plan to stay here permanently.

 

Terry Roark:  I am a native of Oklahoma. My wife and I have lived in Laramie for over 19 years. I was President of UW for ten years and was Interim President of Montana State University for one year. I was appointed Interim CEO of the Western Research Institute this July. I currently serve as Chairman of the IMH Board of Trustees. Also, I am Vice President of the Cathedral Home for Children's Board of Trustees and have served on the County Planning and Zoning Commission, including being Chairman, for many years. I am Co-Chair of the Laramie Comprehensive Plan Advisory Team.

 

Christine Rodriguez: I am a Wyoming Native, living in Laramie for the past 6 years.  I  have been married for 18 years and we have 3 beautiful children. I have worked in the health care industry for many years now. Currently I work from my home as a Radiology Transcriptionist. I have held other positions, such as Office Manager, Billing Coordinator and Administrative Assistant with various other health care facilities in Laramie including Ivinson Memorial Hospital where I also held the position of Medical Transcriptionist. I have been active in our community for the past 6 years, serving on the Board of Directors for Jubilee Days…

 

Jason M. Tangeman: I was born in Laramie and have made Laramie my home for the past 20 years.  My wife Laura and I have two children, Jordan and David.  Laura and I are both University of Wyoming graduates.  In 1997 I graduated from the University of Wyoming, College of Law and have been practicing law in Laramie since 1998.  I am currently a partner in the firm of Anthony, Nicholas and Tangeman, LLC.

 
What priorities do you have for hospital board action?
 
Anne Alexander:  We need to ensure the hospital’s future fiscal health.  Health insurance challenges – especially Medicaid reimbursement rates, and the coming bulge of baby boomer retirees – are key strategic issues that need to be examined by the board.  I also want to understand the viewpoints of other board members, and work cooperatively to improve health care for all Albany County residents.  The board needs to work together to find long-term solutions by seeking common ground.
 

C.L. Burton:  The first priority, has to be a code of conduct for the trustees that allows for constructive difference of opinion, but, doesn’t allow disruptive behavior as witnessed in recent trustee meetings.  I believe the Magnet hospital program deserves the full support of the Trustees and the continued support for Meditech HIS, DR Systems PACS and Medicine Bow Technologies, because, of the added enhancement of Patient Care, Patient Safety and financial stability for IMH.

 
Frank Cylvick: I would like to see Ivinson Memorial Hospital:  continue to work on a strong financial basis; continue to provide excellent patient care;  continue to track current and advanced technology.
 
Sidney Peters:  We are fortunate to have a hospital with excellent staff and services.  The board functions to make policy and oversee the hospital.  I seek to maintain and improve our fine health care delivery within a financially healthy hospital organization.  I will encourage policies to improve retention and recruitment of experienced health care providers.  I am committed to open communication, teamwork, employee education, community relations, excellent patient care, and fair Human Resources policies.
 

Terry Roark:  My priorities are to provide IMH nurses, technicians, physicians and allied health providers with up-to-date equipment and facilities allowing them to continue offering our community the very best health care possible. We need to recruit more primary care physicians and sub-specialists. We must continue on the path to become a Magnet Hospital. Upgrading our information technology and imaging capabilities is essential. All this must be accomplished with sound fiscal policies and reasonable costs for patients.

 

Christine Rodriguez:  The first thing I would like to see is an open and honest board. I would like to see better physician recruitment and retention.  We are  losing good quality physicians here and they are not being replaced.   The current board might disagree, but general hospital employee  morale is extremely low.  You cannot have quality health care if the  employees are concerned about losing their jobs.  The employees need to be valued and listened to.

 

Jason M. Tangeman: I have three priorities: 1) better communication between the board and the hospital administration and management; 2) improved physician recruitment and retention, and 3) continued financial solvency and success. 

 
What changes would you like to see in Ivinson Hospital’s emergency plan?
 
Anne Alexander:  I recently spoke at the Governor’s summit on pandemic flu - a topic of utmost importance.  IMH needs to have contingency plans coordinated with the community.  Our citizens must be made aware of the abilities and limitations of IMH – a 99-bed rural hospital -- to provide assistance.  Urgent issues include respirator availability, patient isolation and quarantine issues, and the availability of potential vaccines.  Community planning is already underway, and must remain a top priority. 
 

C.L. Burton:  I would like to see a more comprehensive community effort in educating and planning for potential outbreaks of Pandemic Influenza and Bioterrorism in our public schools, UW, and our community as a whole.  IMH currently has applied for two grants -- one from Centers for Disease Control and Health Resources and Service Administration and the money will be allocated for emergency supplies and equipment, as well as staff training.

 
Frank Cylivck:  I am not familiar with this question.
 
Sidney Peters:  The specific plan is and should remain an internal document.  Those who have the details are those who would implement an emergency response.  Each professional is ready to perform his/her role.  Solid community relations and communication with other agencies are essential.  Board members have access to the plan and its related activities.  I will advocate for detailed response scenarios, frequent training, and assessment of results as was done in my military service.
 

Terry Roark:  IMH has many emergency plans, not just one. They range from patient emergencies within the Hospital, our joint emergency transport system with the Fire Department, to plans looking forward to the day when and if a pandemic influenza event were to happen or a large scale chemical spill occurred on I-80. All plans are periodically reviewed and revised as new information is brought forward by advances in medicine, governmental regulations or when unforeseen threats appear.

 

Christine Rodriguez: The Emergency Preparedness Plan is not readily accessible to the  general public, for security reasons.  Since I was an employee of the hospital, I do know that they perform drills to maintain their preparedness.  I believe that this is a very important part of what the hospital does and that all aspects of the plan should be reviewed and adhered to in order to maintain readiness.

 

Jason M. Tangeman: I am not sure any changes are necessary although I would ensure that the various emergency plans are clearly articulated, current and properly implemented.