A new board of directors has been elected at the North Hawaii Community Hospital, a Big Island medical facility that has been attempting to heal a rift with the community after layoffs earlier this year.

The board includes nine new community members and four holdover members. Bob Momsen was elected as president of the board.

The hospital said the new board has established five focus areas to work on during the next three months, including outstanding care, recruitment of a new chief executive officer, physician recruitment and retention, fundraising and communication with its employees, physicians and the community.

North Hawaii Community Hospital is a full-service, 40-bed acute-care hospital in Waimea.

The hospital laid off 59 employees, or about 13 percent of its staff, in August because of financial difficulties.