Meeker

Eastern Rio Blanco County Health Service District swears in new board members; discusses meeting times, legal concerns

MEEKER | The Eastern Rio Blanco County Health Service District Pioneers Medical Board held its regular monthly meeting last week, beginning with a closed-door financial discussion before opening the doors to the public.

The meeting began with the swearing in of two new board members, Jean Gianinetti and Sherri Halandras, who replaced outgoing members Kim Tedford and J.H. Sheridan. After the oath of office, the board approved the meeting agenda and the minutes from the April 2025 meeting. No public comments were submitted, and the board moved on to departmental reports.

Chief Executive Officer Liz Sellers highlighted a new pharmacy program called ScriptTalk, which helps visually impaired patients access prescription information.

“It’s bio readings for the prescriptions for those patients that are visually challenged,” Sellers said. “It’s probably the only one in our area, so we’re the first ones to provide that to those community members … and we’re really excited about that.”

Chief Nursing Officer Janelle Borchard provided an update on the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) courses offered at Meeker High School. She said the most recent class concluded a few weeks ago and several students are preparing to take the state exam.

“All of those students have been released to test now, which will go through the state,” Borchard said. “We have had one [student] that has started from that class on the Walbridge Wing as an NA, and she is scheduled to take her exam now. We’re excited for her. We have another employee that started in-house while he waits to take the exam.”

A new CNA class is scheduled to begin June 2, with seven students already confirmed and additional candidates undergoing interviews.

“We’ve added some interviews so that they really understand what they’re getting into and understand the commitment of it,” Borchard said.

During the “other business” portion of the meeting, board member Sherri Halandras raised concerns about the 10 a.m. meeting time, suggesting evening meetings would be more accessible to the public and board candidates with daytime obligations.

“Anybody that runs for the board or anybody that wants to attend a board meeting — 10 o’clock in the morning is not great,” she said.

Board President Mark Schryver replied, asking if she preferred a 9 a.m. start. Halandras reiterated her proposal for evening meetings, which Schryver dismissed.

“No! I mean, I would vote no — that’s what I would say,” Schryver said.

Halandras also proposed holding meetings at other locations, such as the community room at the Meeker Public Library, to improve accessibility. Schryver responded that the board had considered that in the past but raised concerns about staff logistics.

Halandras also shared documents with the board asserting that the current five-member board may be in violation of a 2022 court ruling requiring a return to a seven-member structure.

She cited Colorado Revised Statutes 32-1-905(2)(a), explaining that when two members resigned in 2021, the board improperly voted to reduce its membership from seven to five — a decision that legally requires a consolidation process.

“The very next meeting, which was May 25, you have 60 days to appoint a new board member,” Halandras said. “On May 25, the board made a motion to reduce the board from seven to five members, which a board cannot make that decision. It was voted in, and the only way you can go to a five-member board is with a consolidation process.”

A year later in March 2022 the court denied a motion to formalize the five-member structure and instead ruled that the district must retain a seven-member board.

Board member Wade Bradfield responded, “I remember when I got voted on this was a big hot topic, and I had asked about it. I was told by somebody here that it was all legal and approved. Now that I see this, where it clearly says it was denied in the court, that kind of bothers me.”

Sherri Halandras said the board’s legal counsel at the time mishandled the issue and that she had consulted with two outside special district attorneys who both affirmed that the board is legally a seven-member entity.

Bradfield agreed, stating, “To me it looks like we are obligated to bring two more people on, or otherwise we’re in violation and now knowingly violating a court order.”

Schryver responded by saying he had been told county commissioners had signed off on the five-member structure. Attorney Michael Santos said he could not advise the board without reviewing the court hearing record and would only do so in executive session.

“Without that, I wouldn’t provide advice during the board meeting — I would only do that during the executive session,” Santos said. “I don’t have the information necessary to be able to make a recommendation, and certainly not in an open session.”

Schryver concluded the discussion, saying, “Let’s table this and have our counsel research it and deal with it next week,” Schryver said. “We don’t have enough information. We haven’t done our due diligence — I mean, you have, but I haven’t — and I need to have a little counsel.”

Before entering executive session, Sherri Halandras asked if the board would be reorganizing leadership positions following the addition of new members. Vice President Regas Halandras made a motion to retain his role and that of Schryver as president, while appointing Sherri Halandras as treasurer/secretary. The motion passed.

The next public meeting is scheduled for June 30 at 10 a.m.

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