Bruce McComas’ relationship with Jefferson Healthcare dates back more than two decades when he began serving as a volunteer on a hospital financial committee, which was trying to figure what to do about doctors leaving Jefferson County. Ultimately, some of those doctors ended up working for the hospital.

More recently, the Jefferson Healthcare commission candidate became familiar with the care side of the health care system when his wife, Teri, who died a year ago, was going through cancer treatment.

It’s the three decades of community experience dealing with numbers and with patient-care issues, the 67-year-old said, that separates him from candidate Cheri Van Hoover for a seat on the board of commissioners.

“I think I bring a lot to the board that isn’t there. They have a nurse midwife [Marie Dressler] and a doctor [Kees Kolff], but there is no one that has business and financial experience,” McComas said.

“I ran an operation twice the size of the hospital. I know the financial complexities of an operation that size. While that’s not required on the board, I think it would be helpful,” said McComas, who served as manager of the Port Townsend Paper Corp. (PTPC) for four years, and was an employee for 27 years. He was let go in 2008 after the mill sold. He was named Citizen of the Year in Port Townsend.

INTEREST-BASED BARGAINING

What makes the mill and patient experiences important, McComas said, is that he’s learned to asked good questions.

“I’ve been on other nonprofits and other boards, and I think I’m a good listener. I ask a lot of questions and I try to get a lot of information before coming to a conclusion myself,” he said.

Because of his background in finances, for example, he said he can read statements and understand what the numbers mean.

One thing McComas said he would bring to the table is a way of resolving differences that he calls interest-base bargaining.

“This came up in the mill with contract negotiations. People say, ‘This is my opinion, and I’m not budging,’ but in interest-based bargaining, you get down to what the real interests are and you look for common interests and then you work on solutions that aren’t either/or.

“Then you can work on solutions that are both/and. It’s like win/win, where you both feel you are winning and getting a lot of what you want and you aren’t losing. If you can do that on boards and listen to what the other person is saying and not prejudge, you get into their interest, and it opens up a whole new round of solutions,” McComas said.

NOT ON EITHER SIDE

Although hospital commission veteran Tony DeLeo, who is leaving the board after 44 years, and Commissioner Marie Dressler, who still is on the board, have endorsed McComas for the seat, McComas said he does not see himself on “either side” of the board.

“I don’t believe I’d be aligned with either side,” he said, acknowledging that there is an appearance, at least, that DeLeo, Dressler and commission chair Jill Buhler constitute one faction on the board and commissioners Kees Kolff and Matt Ready are seen as another faction.

McComas doesn’t think the board currently is dysfunctional, although that is a word DeLeo used to describe the board last summer.

“I don’t think they are working at the highest potential. Part of it is past history and at times, I think they speak past each other and aren’t listening to what’s being said. They are listening to who is talking and what their motives might be.

“Truly, I think everybody on the board has the hospital’s best interest in mind and they have different opinions on how to accomplish that. Sometimes, it’s how they voice their opinions,” he said.

One allegation does make him bristle.

“Some people say Bruce would be a ‘yes’ man and wouldn’t stand up to Mike Glenn,” he said of an allegation he’s heard. “I’m not afraid to speak up and disagree if I think it’s not the right thing, or if I think someone is being mistreated, I’ll speak up about it.”

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

McComas said he’s been fielding a number of questions on the campaign, most involving what a hospital commissioner does.

“I tell them it’s a governance oversight [position] and it has fiduciary responsibility for the overall operation, and they have one employee, and that is the CEO,” he said.

The board gives that CEO direction, and what McComas said he wants to see is a focus on the things the hospital does well.

“I think it’s important we continue the collaborations so that all the bases are covered,” he said. “But the hospital can’t do everything and shouldn’t do everything.”

CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT

Another thing McComas feels strongly about is the need for continuous improvement.

“When I was going through this with my wife, we saw the good and the bad. And there are things that can be better,” he said.

McComas, who was on the first oncology support committee the hospital had, said he learned a lot about cancer and its impacts, not just on one’s body but on day-to-day life, including dealing with insurance companies.

“So we put together a handbook for patients and their families. It’s one of the things you do is learn from other cancer patients,” he said.

His wife received care at the University of Washington Medical Center and at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance initially. While she was undergoing care, she became the first patient at Jefferson Healthcare to use an infusion pump at home.

“Being an engineer, I helped figure out how to run the pumps,” he said. Being able to do that allowed his wife to live at home for two days before needing to return to the hospital, he said.

“People want quality, affordable health care close to home, especially if you are doing chemo. You’re feeling like crap already, and you don’t want to fight traffic and ferries to get care. I want to see improvements continue,” he said.