Syringa appoints Crowley to fill hospital board of trustees vacancy
Feb. 28—GRANGEVILLE — Tom Crowley, who works in the mapping department of the Idaho County Assessor's Office, was appointed Tuesday to fill the vacancy on the Syringa General Hospital board of trustees.
Crowley, who has a medical, insurance and computer background, replaces Joel Cleary, who resigned in December. Cleary had served less than a year, was critical of many of the board's financial decisions and said he had conflicts with some of the other board members during meetings.
Crowley was appointed unanimously to the seven-person board and will fill the position until the May 2025 election. Trustees oversee the governing decisions of the taxpayer-supported Syringa hospital district.
In other business, the board heard from Beth Boehmke, one of the organizers of the newly formed North Star Phoenix volunteer organization.
Boehmke said the group has been operating since last summer and has 32 volunteers who assist people in the Grangeville area with rides, grocery delivery, yard cleanup, tech support and in-home notary services, among other things.
Since May, when the group began, it has responded to 137 requests, including 16 that were referred to local professionals.
Boehmke said the biggest challenges for the group right now have to do with requests for rides to medical appointments, sometimes outside the Grangeville area. The group is not set up for that yet, she said. Licensing and insurance also is a consideration for the volunteers and some requests cannot be met. The group is hopeful to attract more volunteers in the outlying areas or to partner with another organization for people who need assistance outside Grangeville.
"We are trying to figure out how to provide" these services, Boehmke said.
Board members agreed that the group's services are needed for people who don't have their own transportation.
"Well, there certainly is a need in this community," Jane Carlson, one of the trustees said. "People cancel (medical) appointments because they can't find a ride."
North Star Phoenix volunteers can be reached at (208) 494-1905.
Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.
