PORT ANGELES — The Olympic Medical Center board swore in four incumbent commissioners and elected John Beitzel as board president.
Jim Cammack, Arlene Engel, Jim Leskinovitch and John Nutter ran unopposed in the 2009 general election.
They were sworn in together by attorney Craig Miller on Wednesday.
New president
Leskinovitch, the outgoing board president, then handed the president’s gavel to Beitzel.
Beitzel represents OMC’s District 1, or the eastern third of Clallam County. The former Sequim city councilman became the volunteer executive director of the Dungeness Valley Health and Wellness Clinic last summer.
In 2003, he was named Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.
Engel made the motion to nominate Beitzel. Cammack, who was later elected to board secretary, seconded the motion.
Beitzel complimented Leskinovitch for his good communication with the public during some “heavy duty hearings” that OMC held in 2009.
Effective lobbyist
Chief Executive Officer Eric Lewis thanked Leskinovitch for effective lobbying on behalf of OMC in Washington, D.C.
Beitzel said the board is trying to develop regular roundtables with community leaders and the public.
The first roundtable is slated for March 11 at Linkletter Hall in the basement of the hospital.
Beitzel said the board should focus on goals in OMC’s strategic plan, collaborate with Forks Community Hospital and Jefferson Healthcare and pay attention to Seattle-area competition.
“Our very survival could be at stake,” Beitzel said.
“We have huge fixed costs that can only be met if we have enough patients. I think we are responsible to pay attention to that, as is Eric [Lewis] and the CFO.”
Beitzel added that OMC needs to be well-grounded in how the health care delivery system is changing.”
For later consideration
Later in the meeting, the commissioners agreed to consider a resolution in their Jan. 20 meeting to support the proposed Sequim School District maintenance and operation levy, which will appear on the Feb. 9 special election ballot in the Sequim School District.
Public comment will be taken before OMC takes any action.
Lewis said the Sequim School District ranks 227th out of 280 districts in Washington in levy dollars per student.
“It’s really needed for this school district,” Lewis said.
He said good schools are important to OMC for recruiting and retaining physicians.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.