Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Warren General Hospital CEO Rick Allen addresses board members, media, and guests Thursday during the hospital’s annual public meeting.

Warren General Hospital had an eventful year in 2022.

While COVID-19 infection rates declined, the pandemic was still a significant part of the early part of the fiscal year for the hospital.

That did not keep the facility from moving forward.

CEO Rick Allen addressed board members, guests, and media Thursday at the hospital’s annual public board meeting.

The process of “investing, expanding, adding” has been a key feature of the hospital’s work for the past few years.

As finances have allowed, “We’ve been able to reinvigorate and recapitalize… to the tune of $20 million.”

It is important that the hospital make money, he explained.

“My goal is not to make money, but to make enough money in order to reinvest, add, and expand back into this organization,” Allen said. “You’ve got to have your finances in so you can continue on to your vision. A hospital this size requires (reinvestment) of $3 million to $4 million a year.”

“We’ve got to work hard to reach that margin,” he said. “So far, we have.”

According to the financial report, the hospital was in the black by 4.4 percent – or a little less than $4 million – for fiscal year 2022.

Allen highlighted several improvements completed and opened in 2022:

– he cancer center’s new $5 million linear accelerator and vault;

– the first phase of improvements to the emergency department;

– the opening of a pediatric rehabilitation clinic;

– $500,000 improvement to the parking garage;

– the purchase of a 3D mammography unit and accompanying stereotactic breast biopsy equipment;

– relocation of surgical services; and

– renovations to the 18-bed behavioral health unit and its four-bed detox unit.

Due to many renovations over several years, the hospital became younger, on average.

“It was a very good year,” Board President Thad Turner said. “One of the things we learned in the finance meeting yesterday was that the age of plant… a very important part of this hospital… went down.”

The hospital earned accolades in a number of areas, including: diabetes, high blood pressure management, stroke, cancer screenings, readmissions, and overall rating by patients.

During the year, the hospital also came to agreements with the unions representing its nurses and its non-nursing personnel.

New doctors and services added or acquired through the year include: gastroenterologist Dr. William Wismer, general surgeon Dr. Yoko Young-Sang, family medicine physician Dr. Megan Church, Family Medicine of Warren – “with nearly 10,000 patient charts,” Allen said – the former Allegheny Health Network OB/GYN practice in North Warren, and telestroke and teleneurology services.

“It’s been another great year,” he said. “A lot of progress.”

While there are several new names among the doctors and the exodus of nurses related to COVID-19 has turned around, Allen said the hospital will be focusing on “recruitment, recruitment, recruitment” moving forward.

“We need good staff, quality staff,” he said. “We need to replace the… many of our nurses who left during the pandemic with the lure of double, triple, four times the money.”

During the coming year, in addition to finding more new people, the hospital will begin using a surgical robotic arm. “We were able to get over a million dollars to support a $2.4 million purchase,” Allen said. “That will allow our surgeons to do these advanced surgeries here in Warren.”

It will also serve as a lure for new general surgeons who have been using such a device and would prefer to land in a hospital that has one, he said. “We are one of the very few community hospitals to have this technology.”

The hospital continues its electronic health records upgrade that will bring records into one “state-of-the-art system,” Allen said.

“We’ll be rolling that out all this year,” he said. “Next year we’ll be going live.”

The second phase of the emergency department work – renovation of the patient rooms – and a $1 million renovation of the maternity unit will also happen in the 2023 fiscal year.

All of that chases the vision: “Warren General Hospital is an independent, community-focused hospital delivering world class medical care and service through the collaborative efforts of physicians, staff, and volunteers.”

Along the way to that vision, the hospital has outlined values: compassionate, collaborative, accountable, and respectful.

During the year, the hospital went through a licensure survey by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and a participation survey by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services without citations.

Through it all, the pandemic has remained. “It’s been a rough go,” Allen said. “I’m very proud of our staff, our executive team, and every member of our team for the dedication and their work ethic.”“It’s been an exciting year,” he said.