CASPER, Wyo. — Natrona County commissioners pressed Banner Wyoming Medical Center leadership Tuesday over patient safety and campus renovations after an independent assessment of the hospital’s 2020 acquisition agreement.
The presentation by healthcare consulting firm PYA, commissioned by the Natrona Collective Health Trust to monitor the hospital’s post-sale obligations, showed the hospital fully met 13 of its 17 contractual covenants for the 2025 calendar year. Three covenants related to the Wyoming Advisory Board’s community engagement were deemed only “partially met,” a repeat of the previous year’s findings.
The final covenant regarding capital expenditure was marked as not applicable for this review cycle, though PYA noted the hospital is currently on track to meet its requirement of disbursing $60 million by the end of 2026.
While consultants saw improvements in how information is shared with the advisory board, they said the panel still falls short of its mandate to actively gather and use community input to help shape the medical center’s strategic planning and services.
Margo Karsten, Banner’s Western Division president, acknowledged the ongoing gap and told commissioners the hospital is working on an action plan to address the issue.
“We did make progress, but it wasn’t good enough,” Karsten said. “We did work the action plan, and it’s clear that we need to do a better job on engaging the community, so we’re going to take that forward again.”
Commissioner Dallas Laird pressed the consultants and hospital leadership on the overall quality of care, recounting stories of constituents who suffered severe complications, including a patient who required an amputation after a surgery. Pleading for better treatment of local residents, Laird said he was born and raised in the county and doesn’t want his people hurt.
“Look at me. Look at my face,” Laird said. “I’m concerned about these people. And I do talk to them, and I hear them, and they’re frightened.”
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Dr. Phil Stahel, chief medical officer at Banner Wyoming Medical Center, mentioned the hospital’s recent national recognition as a top 100 community hospital and emphasized his personal commitment to patient safety.
“Every time I receive a grievance, something goes wrong, the patient suffers harm or they’re unhappy with the care received, even in absence of any wrongdoing or harm, I invite them to my office, listen to their story and I stay in touch with them,” Stahel said. “I’m very sorry, I’m not familiar with your constituents who have suffered, and I’m more than happy to reach out to them.”
He said that as a trauma surgeon of over 30 years, he understands bad outcomes sometimes happen despite the quality of care, but he agreed with Laird’s call for compassion. He told the board he feels that if healthcare workers do not treat every patient and family member on their watch as if they were their own loved ones, they’re hypocrites.
Beyond patient care, commissioners also questioned the physical state of the aging hospital and how the promised capital investments are being used. Interim CEO and Chief Operating Officer Rachel Bryant detailed ongoing renovations to modernize the campus. She reported that the hospital is updating its central utility plant, renovating the oldest, 76-year-old building on campus, replacing flooring room-by-room, and actively working to expand the intensive care unit from 14 to 20 beds.
The projects are part of the broader capital investments that Banner is allocating funds toward as the $60 million expenditure deadline approaches.
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