WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Hospital plan has millions in cuts, new revenue

Jessie Stensland reports:

A strategic plan set in motion by WhidbeyHealth’s interim CEO has stabilized the public hospital district’s finances and should result in continued improvements next year.

Yet challenges remain, including building public trust in the hospital system, increasing staff wages that remain below comparable pay and continuing to reinforce the renewed relationship between the administration and medical staff. The temporary top official also wants to find creative ways to raise $10 million to spur renewal.

They Said It

“With hospitals our size, there are plenty of ways to make a profit,” [Interim CEO Michael Layfield] said in an interview last week. “We just haven’t been working effectively and efficiently.”

“We’ve stopped the bleeding and we are working toward stabilizing,” he said. “We don’t want to just survive. We want to thrive.”