The future needs of Culberson Hospital was the major topic of the June
25, 2013, meeting of the Culberson County Hospital District (CCHD).
At
the request of the CCHD Board of Directors, Judy Blazek, president of
Business Strategies Inc. (BSI), led board members and hospital
management through a discussion of facility and equipment needs that
Culberson Hospital and the Van Horn Rural Health Clinic will face over
the next 10 years.
“We are very pleased with the renovation of
the original hospital building completed last year,†said David Massey,
vice chair of the CCHD Board, “but also know that there are several
other projects we were unable to complete with the bond money raised.
As
a result, the Board approved the recommendation of board chairman Edwin
Easley to move forward with the development of a capital improvement
plan (CIP),†he continued.
The facility issue of greatest concern identified during the meeting was the aging clinic.
“The
current building is a prefabricated structure that was only intended to
last five to seven years,†reported Jared Chanski, hospital
administrator.
“It has reached the end of its useful life and is rapidly deteriorating.â€
“Building
a new clinic is our top priority,†confirmed Andy Freeman, president of
Preferred Management Leasing, Inc., the company that operates Culberson
Hospital.
“Construction of an efficient clinic is critical to
retaining existing and attracting new providers to take care of our
patients,†said Freeman.
“Renovation of the remaining portion
of the existing hospital as a replacement clinic would not only be
costly to upgrade for electronic medical records and other needed
improvements but also awkward for the providers and patients alike.â€
Other
priorities identified during the meeting included: phased replacement
of the ambulances and needed improvements for the ambulance garage.
Blazek
was asked to move forward with a more detailed evaluation of the
options identified to meet needs, development of a related budget and
timeline for project completion.
Her firm worked with the CCHD
Board in 2007 to develop a facility plan for the new addition to the
hospital, and continued to work with the board and hospital through the
renovation project completed last year.
The CCHD Board
meeting began with the swearing in of new board member, Larry Simpson.
“I am happy to be a member of the CCHD board and to help this
organization and the residents of Culberson County maintain and enhance
our healthcare services. He said.â€
Copies of the audit for
Fiscal Year ending October 11, 2011 were distributed to the board
members, followed by a vote to approve the engagement of Gibson Ruddock
Patterson, LLC, El Paso, to complete work on the FY2012 audit.
Board
members also reviewed a tax resale bid request for 400 Van Horn Drive,
the former location of Little Papa’s that had been foreclosed for back
taxes. The board members voted unanimously to deny the request because
the bid amount fell short of the back taxes owed.
