Rosalinda Kibby new CBH administrator

EPHRATA - Commitment to the community, all the way up to the administrator, is one of the keys to success for Columbia Basin Hospital. That's one of the lessons learned during the search for a new administrator, Rosalinda Kibby said, who accepted the job last week.

Kibby had been working as the interim administrator since December 2012, and previously said she wasn't a candidate for the permanent job. That changed as the hospital board conducted the search for a replacement.

"When we dug deep, into what we really need for our district, the ability to have community ties were very important," she said.

For district patrons to support the hospital, hospital officials have to show their commitment to the community, Kibby said. She is a 23-year resident of Ephrata and has worked at the hospital 18 years.

It's a big job, she said, and she was concerned it might take time away from her other responsibilities. But after more than a year of searching for a replacement, she decided to take it, she said.

The goal is to find the hospital's future leaders from the existing hospital staff, or find qualified people in the community. "A community-based person running our community hospital. That means everything. It really does," Kibby said.

Columbia Basin Hospital is showing a profit; staying profitable will require navigating changes in health care, providing the right mix of services and keeping the hospital competitive when recruiting doctors and staff, Kibby said.

Currently there is a nursing shortage throughout the industry, she said. "We (health care providers) are all looking for nurses," Kibby said. The hospital is working to train people from its staff to address that, she said.

Keeping doctors is a challenge as well. "We are in a constant (health provider) recruiting process. Constant," she said.

The hospital also has to cope with changes in the health care regulations, in cases where the impact might not be felt for a long time. "A new rule may come out tomorrow, but financially it's not going to hit us for six months or a year down the line," Kibby said.

Reimbursement for services is, in some cases, less than the cost of providing those services, she said. Under those circumstances hospital officials continue to work to reduce expenses, she said.

The key for continued success at CBH will be finding services the community needs at an affordable price. "I believe that's going to be our challenge," she said.

Columbia Basin Hospital is unique because it has assisted living and extended care facilities, as well as a treatment clinic, Kibby said. Some of those services operate at a loss, which the hospital has been able to absorb, she said. But those losses will have to be addressed sometime, she said.

Despite the challenges, Kibby said she's optimistic about the hospital's future. "I believe that we can do this." There will be some changes coming to cope with the changing times, she said, but the hospital's staff and district patrons are committed to the hospital's success.

"We have a great opportunity. And I'm excited to lead that," she said.