Advisory board offersposition to doctor

Advisory board offers position to doctor

The Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic is negotiating with a Seattle area physician to join the clinic staff.

Wahkiakum County commissioners on January 28 approved making the offer to the doctor.

Also on that date, commissioners approved a reorganization of the advisory board, and Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow outlined the board's responsibility for operating under the state's Open Public Meetings Act.

Commissioners said state officials had expressed concern that clinic staff were serving as voting members of the advisory board, thus creating a conflict of interest.

The commissioners and board members agreed to put clinic staff and the commission's liason, Commmissioner Blair Brady, as non-voting members.

Committee members are Dave Batt, chair, Sandi Benbrook-Rieder, Arnold Curtis, David Goodroe, Carol Larson, Dr. Doug Martin, Crystal Stanley, Judy Bright, and, appointed just this Tuesday, Hank Hanigan, who has been working with the comittee for several months.

Technical advisory, non-voting members are Dr. Keith Wright, Nurse Practitioner Margie Godfrey and Clinic Manager Kathy Patterson.

Bigelow told the board that because it is a sub-agency of the county, it must operate under the state Open Public Meetings Act. He recommended the board write a policy about how it will handle public comment and inquiry at meetings.

Meetings must be open to the public, but the board may go into closed executive sessions for certain deliberation, including evaluation of personnel and hearing advice from an attorney. He also said any meeting in which the board deliberates business but takes no action, often called work sessions, are also subject to the meetings act.