WAIMEA – At the Dec. 11 meeting of the North Hawaii Community Hospital Board of Directors, the new board was officially elected and will immediately begin its responsibilities at the hospital, according to a statement from NHCH.

The new board includes nine new community members along with four members who have been serving on the existing board.

The new board has elected Bob Momsen as the president. He will be joined by Dr. John Dawson and Ken Wood as vice presidents, Mike Rossi as treasurer, and Bill Hastings as secretary.

“For the retiring board members, we say mahalo. Many of them were part of the original community movement to bring the vision of a great hospital to reality,” Momsen said.

The new board members have worked closely with the retiring members to ensure continuity of leadership. The new board has established five areas of focus over the next 90 days:

1. Outstanding Care: The board’s primary goal is to ensure that the hospital continues to provide outstanding care to the community.

“While the turmoil over the past months has been distracting, we can confidently assure the community that the doctors and staff at NHCH continue to provide outstanding care,” said Dr. Dana Lee, chief of staff.

2. CEO Recruitment: The board expects to hire a permanent CEO to lead the organization by Feb.15. Momsen said, “At the end of the process, we are committed to hiring a CEO who embraces the mission of the hospital and can help us re-establish a trusting and open relationship with the staff, the physicians, and the overall community.”

3. Physician Recruitment and Retention: The hospital must attract and retain physicians to support the needs of the community and the core services of the hospital.

“I am pleased to announce that we have commitments from a family practice physician, an anesthesiologist and an orthopedic surgeon to relocate to Waimea. Also, we are delighted that we have renewed Dr. Bill Park’s and Dr. Howard Wong’s contracts to continue their general surgery practice, our anesthesiologists, Dr. Ted Hon and Dr. Kristin Buehler, contracts and Dr. Jade McGaff’s contract to continue at the Women’s Center,” said Ron Vigus, interim CEO.

4. Financial Needs: The new board is bringing a keen focus on the ongoing financial needs of the hospital. NHCH loses money on core services and has done so since it was opened.

In 2007, the hospital’s operating losses were more than $7 million and are expected to be in a similar range for 2008.

“In past years, we have relied on donations from the community or from the Parker Ranch Trust to cover these losses. If you combine the difficult economic times with the transition to a new Board and CEO, we have seen a pause in the stream of donations,” said Mike Rossi, treasurer.

Dr. Bakken’s recent letter to the community was a turning point as the hospital kicks off its fundraising campaign.

5. Communication: The new board is fully committed to open and honest communication – with employees, with the medical staff and the broader community. Next spring, the board will fully engage on setting long range goals of the hospital and medical community that will shape the 2010 business plan and drive the hospital’s fundraising campaign.

North Hawaii Community Hospital is a 40-bed, full-service, acute-care medical center in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is a community-owned, non-profit hospital that is managed by Quorum Health Resources. It opened in May 1996 and serves the 30,000+ residents and visitors of North Hawaii.