McConnell becomes Haxtun Health's pharmacist

Haxtun Health pharmacy recently announced the licensing of Ellen McConnell as a pharmacist. McConnell started at Haxtun Health as a pharmacy intern, was later hired as a pharmacy technician and recently graduated with her Doctorate of Pharmacy.

Chief Executive Officer Dewane Pace announced McConnell's licensing in a late-November meeting of the Board of Directors. He said McConnell originally came to Haxtun Health as an intern from Creighton University last year. She was later hired to work as a pharmacy technician while she waited to graduate and take her board examinations.

McConnell graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy degree and later took and passed her boards. She passed the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and also the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination exam. She is officially a pharmacist.

Pace said that McConnell lives in Haxtun with her two children and is now the face behind the counter at Haxtun Health's pharmacy.

"Be sure to stop in and say congratulations to Ellen and welcome her as our very own full-time pharmacist," he said.

In his board report, Pace also gave an in-depth update on Proposition HH, now known as SB23B-001. Colorado voters said no to Proposition HH by nearly an 18-point margin, Pace said. Following that vote, Governor Polis then called a special session of the State Legislature to address property taxes. Legislation that looked a lot like Proposition HH was then introduced with a few differences; this would only be for one year and hospital districts were excluded from receiving any backfill from potential reductions.

Pace went to Denver on Nov. 27 to meet with the Colorado Hospital Association and other rural hospital representatives that stood to be negatively impacted by the most recent legislation. Pace said there are 26 rural, county and special district hospitals that receive property tax revenue and 92 percent of those have patient service margins below sustainable levels. The ask was made to include hospital districts in the new bill and Pace said with thanks to Senators from both parties including Chris Hansen, Kyle Mullica, Rod Pelton, Byron Pelton, Perry Will and President Steve Fenburg the bill was amended to include hospital districts to receive backfill funds from any reduction in tax dollars removed.

"While hospital districts will still potentially be impacted by a reduction in funding, the impact has at least been minimized," said Pace.

In other business:

• Chief Nursing Officer Lea White said Haxtun Health has one opening for a full-time night shift registered nurse and that the Extended Care Unit census is 19;

• Pace said the wound care clinic has been utilizing a biologic product called VIVEX and have been able to not only heal wounds that are several years old, but have been able to prevent amputation and preserve limbs.

• Chief of Staff Dr. Ben Stephenson said administration teams continue to work on swing bed improvements. He also noted that local COVID rates are up but the rate remains low therefore mask mandate has not been reinstated.