Four seek two hospital district board seats

COEUR d’ALENE — Four individuals are vying for two seats on the Kootenai Hospital District Board of Trustees.

Dr. Randil Clark, Dr. Richard Barclay, Dr. Thomas deTar, and Terri Farr are running to serve a six-year term on the board. The top two vote earners on Tuesday will win a seat on the board, and there are no incumbents running for re-election.

Clark, who works with North Idaho Urology and the active staff at Kootenai Health, has 27 years of experience working with patients and in an administrative capacity. The urologist also served as chief of the medical staff at the hospital for two years.

When asked by The Press why he is running for the trustee position, Clark said one of the biggest reasons is to give back to what he called an exceptional institution that has provided him throughout his career with the technical services necessary to deliver a complete range of state-of-the-art urologic procedures.

The hospital, he added, has grown alongside the rest of the region.

“The future demands that we be prepared to quickly and adeptly develop our facilities and staff if we wish to continue to meet the needs of our community,” Clark said. “I wish to have the privilege to bring my training, background and experience to help the board perform the many responsibilities it faces and lead Kootenai Health in providing ever-greater service to the citizens of our beautiful home in North Idaho.”

Barclay, 74, is a Coeur d’Alene native with more than 30 years of experience in biochemistry. He served for 15 years as the director of clinical chemistry at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane, and 15 years in the Sisters of Providence system as the director of toxicology at Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories.

If elected, Barclay said, he will work to find innovative ways to address the continued cost cutting for Medicare in the face of steady cost increases. Another issue he said he would address is working to continue to enhance the collaboration between Kootenai Health and its hospital and clinic partners.

Barclay added he will work to find other consulting partners like the DeBakey Heart Center and the Cleveland Clinic.

“My 30 years of experience in hospital systems on the inside makes my candidacy unique,” Barclay said. “I have a proven record in Rotary and in my work to build collaboration and get things done. Some aspect of medicine and hospitals has been prominent throughout my whole life.”

DeTar, 56, has lived in Kootenai County for 21 years and has experience running an independent medical practice. He is also the former chairman of Kootenai Health’s surgery department, former Kootenai Health chief of staff, and former Kootenai Health chief of credentials.

If elected, deTar said, the top issue he would like to address is improving access to reliable, safe and affordable health care throughout the county. In addition, deTar said he wants to identify the local drivers of professional burnout, which he said lead to the loss of personal care and unsafe medical care, and correct them.

DeTar added he would also like to help improve the culture of cooperation between local physicians and the Kootenai Health system.

“My 21 years of living in Kootenai County and running an independent medical practice, as well as my years of involvement with the entire medical staff at the hospital, have given me a solid basis to understand the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of the Kootenai Health system,” deTar said when asked why he is the best candidate for the position.

Farr, 58, has been a Kootenai County resident for 17 years, retiring as president of the Kootenai Health Foundation in 2012. She has 25 years of experience in health administration and, in retirement, works with local nonprofits to advocate for patients.

“I have spent over 20 years as a member of hospital executive teams and sitting at the table at hospital board meetings,” Farr said. “I have a passion to make sure Kootenai Health remains a community-owned hospital, providing the highest quality, patient-focused care.”

If elected, Farr said, one of the top issues she would like to address is advocating that patients be the central-focus in all decision making. Farr added she will also promote conservative fiscal management and be a “champion for transparency, quality, and patient satisfaction.”

“I want to make sure that our hospital remains strong and that decisions about our health care continue to be made locally,” Farr said when asked why she is the best candidate for the position. “Further, we have to remember that every time an expenditure is made, there is a patient in a bed who is paying the bill. Decisions need to be made carefully and with the patient always at the center.”