Ephrata hospital administrator retiring

Employees concerned

EPHRATA - Columbia Basin Hospital Administrator Don James is retiring at the end of the year, according to hospital district commissioners.

Rumors of James being dismissed were denied by commissioners at a special board meeting Monday. The board meeting was to discuss desired qualifications for the next administrator.

"Don James is going to be retiring at the end of the year, and so what the commission is getting ready to do is to start brainstorming, going through some things of qualifications and expectations we might have for the next administrator," said board Chair Keith Knitter.

The commission said James is retiring by his own choice.

The Columbia Basin Herald was unable to reach James for comment.

"We had an agreement that he would be working for four years and it's been four years," said board Vice President Craig Plummer.

Knitter said the issue has been discussed with James for at least two months.

"In fact, he's going to be helping us through the process," Knitter said.

The only two employees the district is responsible for hiring and terminating is attorney and administrator, Knitter noted.

When asked if James had the option of staying at the hospital, Knitter said, "Probably. We probably could have arranged something, but you know, we thought it was by a mutual agreement, and you know, he wants to get on with his retirement."

Knitter said he received a resume and phone calls from people who heard the position would become available.

James, who is about 63 years old, joined Columbia Basin Hospital with nearly 40 years of experience in health care. After joining the U.S. Air Force in 1961, James served as a medic for 16 years, taking X-rays, working in emergency rooms, caring for patients and conducting administrative work. He has since worked at several hospitals, including Birnham City Hospital in Illinois, Three Rivers Hospital in Tennessee, North Valley Hospital in Tonasket and Odessa Community Hospital.

James expressed in an interview last year that he accepted the administrator position at the hospital as a temporary position. He hoped to stay at the hospital as long as he could.

"I like the town. I like the people. I like the staff. I love the people that work here," he said at the time. "They're great people."

James said one of his biggest accomplishments at the hospital was making it profitable. He was proud of other changes, including adding a CT scanner to the hospital's list of services and the planned remodel to the front of the building.

Ideas board members came up with for filling the position include providing a "very specific job description" and noting a chain of command. Some qualifications they thought might contribute to a strong administrator include management style, having a vision and the ability to carry it out, being community accessible, being a coach for managers, management-skilled - but not necessarily in a hospital setting, knowledgeable in statutes impacting hospital districts, and someone with capital budget and hospital budget knowledge.

Commissioner and Secretary Meredith Nichols said she believes the board needs to meet with managers and people in the community to find out what they would like to see in an administrator.

The commissioners plan to review job descriptions on file for the position. Their discussion continues Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the hospital.