Chapé joins as new ex officio board member at Skiff

Lin Chapé was introduced as a new ex officio board member at Thursday’s Skiff Medical Center’s Board of Trustees meeting.

As a member of the Newton City Council, Chapé will act as a liaison to the city and foster better communication since Skiff is a municipal hospital.

“Lin has been terrific ... (we) have gotten to know Lin a little bit through working on our affiliation team for the last couple months. It is just a great addition,” said Brett Altman, Skiff CEO.

Altman praised the work the city is doing to repair North Fourth Avenue East, just south of the hospital.

“We’re blessed that we are the beneficiaries of some of the road improvements in the community,” Altman said. “It’s going to be really nice. We’ll have a nice, smooth street, more green space.”

Along with the work on the street, the future demolition of three houses located across the street, south of the hospital, is appreciated as well, Altman said.

“In a couple of months we won’t have that across the street. It may be a couple of months before these houses actually come down but then this will become green space that the city will own for potential development, a really good thing,” Altman said.

The parking lot repair project is almost complete and the parking space lines need to be painted prior to completion. Altman said that he has heard positive comments about the new lot and was told that it is important that the community, the employees and key stakeholders continue to see that there is investments in the hospital.

The Health Enterprise Lab, 403 W. Fourth St. N., had its ribbon cutting Wednesday. The lab, which was announced in April 2012, will provide testing close to the hospital, instead of sending it out of town to be completed.

For the month, the hospital lost $159,399 but is still positive for the year at $2,587. A deficit of $200,000 was budgeted for this time this year, and as of now, the hospital is staying ahead of its projections. Last year at this time, the hospital had lost almost $750,000.

In other business:

• Dr. Jennifer Paisley, a new pediatrician, will start Oct. 14.

• Dr. Matt Biggerstaff will be working at the pain management clinic.

• Dr. Timothy Smith of Smith Foot Clinic will no longer be affiliated with the hospital after the suspension of his license.

• A change in medical staff bylaws was approved to allow mid-wives admissions privileges.

Contact Staff Writer Jamee A. Pierson at (641) 792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com.