Members of the Ely hospital’s umbrella organization will gather in person for their annual meeting, but at a new venue.
The Ely Health and Hospital Foundation has scheduled the session for Monday, Dec 1, starting at 7 p.m., at The Hub, located at 760 East Miners Drive.
A financial report and the election of three members to the board of directors top the agenda for the meeting.
Three candidates are presented for three seats on the board. They are incumbent board members Tim Riley and John Saw, as well as Michael Pettinelli.
Owners of a $100 Health and Hospital Foundation membership are eligible to vote, and they may either vote in advance or at the annual meeting.
Patti Banks, chief executive officer at the hospital, will also offer a year-in-review following a busy 12 months at the facility.
An annual financial report is also part of the meeting agenda.
Over the last several years, the hospital’s financial health has been subject to extreme fluctuations that mirror Ely’s seasonal tourist industry, with revenues peaking in the summer and plummeting during the winter.
Admissions, surgeries, and various hospital visits all jumped during 2024, according to a report distributed at last year’s annual meeting.
Despite that, it was not a profitable year, with EBCH posting a net loss of $258,838 on total income of about $32.1 million.
This marks the 14th year under a structural change approved by members.
Instead of electing members to the hospital’s board of directors, the members instead directly elect representatives to the foundation.
It keeps the foundation independent of direct hospital control in the event of an integration, and when the change was made supporters said it would make it easier to transfer control of the facility to an organization such as Essentia.
The foundation board will elect members to the hospital board under the current model, and it has a fund to receive assets in case of a transfer of hospital operations from EBCH to an outside entity.
