Hospital reorganizes board

MONTROSE — Montrose Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees appointed officers Tuesday during a brief annual reorganization meeting. The board was also made aware of a deadline extension for board application.

Board member Greg Majors nominated Wallace Belden as president, Don Gladwell as vice-president and Stephen Glasmann as secretary-treasurer for 2008. The nominations were seconded by Glasmann and closed by Majors.

All board members were present except for Nucla resident Wallace Belden, who joined the meeting via a conference call.

According to state statute, the board must elect officers on the second Tuesday of each year, said John Brooks, hospital attorney.

The meeting will continue and reconvene to the regular business meeting on Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. in conference room A at the hospital.

Brooks said the meeting must be continued because financial information needed to hold a regular meeting is not available so early in the year.

At the regular meeting, Belden will appoint board members as heads of several hospital committees. Members will be appointed to the finance committee, building and planning committee, Physician Hospital Organization (PHO), and San Juan Healthcare Foundation.

Montrose County Commissioner Allen Belt was also present at the meeting. He told members the commissioners have decided to extend the application deadline for the two vacant board positions. The deadline was set for 5 p.m. today, but will be extended until 5 p.m. Jan. 18.

County Spokeswoman Ana Mostaccero said interested persons can drop applications off at the county administration building, 161 S. Townsend, or fax them to 249-7761. Applicants must be residents of the county, not the city of Montrose.

Belt said he will be taking board input on the applications, but the commissioners will decide who will replace former board members Donna Granere and Frank Garcia.

Belt said he extended the deadline because he had heard several requests for more time, and that the letters of resignation were received just last week by the county.

“We want to make sure that anyone who wants to serve has an opportunity,” he said.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the commissioners had only received five applications.

Belt said he hopes to announce the new board members at the Jan. 28 meeting. He said the board will be able to review the applicants and give comments after Jan. 18.

Former President Tom Chamberlain and current vice-president Gladwell both agreed that the board is now lacking a female and Hispanic voice.

Gladwell said he has pushed for years, both as the former Montrose major and city council member, to involve more women and Hispanics on boards and committees.

“They add diversity — we need that point of view,” he said. “We (current board members) are all cut out of the same piece of cloth.”

The new members will complete the former board member terms. Granere, a retired EMT, was to serve until 2011. Garcia was to serve until 2012.

Brooks said the new members will go through a detailed orientation and education process. He said they usually don’t enter the office positions until after their first five-year term.