Tri-State on the move

March 10-- Mar. 10--A rapid phase of expansion at Tri-State Memorial Hospital in Clarkston will continue as the health care institution loses two top executives.

Chief Financial Officer Scot Attridge and Chief Operating Officer David Jones are departing this month after being with Tri-State for less than two years.

"I'm sorry to see them leave," said Tri-State CEO Don Wee.

Jones previously was system director of operations for the Saint Luke's Health System in Kansas City, Mo., and is going to Vancouver, Wash., to be the CEO of a new hospital. With 196 beds, it's much bigger than Tri-State, which has 25.

"It's a really good move for me," Jones said. "I get to be the CEO of a very large hospital and build my own team."

Attridge relocated to Clarkston from Pendleton, Ore., where he was vice president of operational finance and CFO. He is headed to Moses Lake for another job that's closer to family, Wee said.

Attridge was not available for comment last week.

Attridge and Jones were part of Tri-State's team during a period when the hospital unveiled a number of projects that were in the planning stages before their arrivals.

An $11 million upgrade is underway at its retirement community, Evergreen Estates, next door to the hospital in Clarkston. A Tri-State medical clinic opened at Rosauers in Lewiston last week, introducing a new business model to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, and another in-store clinic is set to open at Moscow's Rosauers this summer. Tri-State also acquired Clearwater Medical Clinic in Lewiston.

Those initiatives will continue while hospital administrators seek replacements in a search that could take as long as six months.

"We won't miss a beat," Wee said. "Things will keep moving on."

He said he expects a 34,000-square-foot wing at Evergreen Estates to be completed by the end of June. It will have 30 units, bringing the total to 131 and reducing a two-year waiting period for apartments to about six months.

A 20-person, self-contained area for dementia patients is being created by converting some existing living spaces. It is scheduled to be ready in November.

The Lewiston Rosauers clinic is staffed by nurse practitioners who handle routine care such as physicals, immunizations and treating colds and sinus infections. To save time, payments by check, cash or credit card only are accepted. The clinic provides patients documentation so they can submit claims to insurance providers or flexible medical spending plans, but staff doesn't bill those entities directly.

Jones' previous experience in the Midwest was helpful as he guided Tri-State through the Rosauers and Clearwater Medical Clinic ventures. He helped introduce clinics at Walmarts, as well as at grocery store chains Hy-Vee and Price Chopper in Kansas and Missouri. He said they were all busy, including one at a Walmart across the street from a primary care clinic.

He also helped oversee clinics in the Midwest that offered services similar to those available at Clearwater Medical Clinic, like botox and laser hair removal.

"I had history and knew what worked and didn't," Jones said.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.

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