By Becky Brewster
The Culberson County Hospital District awarded a bid for a new diesel 4×4 ambulance at a cost of $194,900 as part of the District’s capital improvement plan to purchase an ambulance every three years. The bid was awarded to Southwest Ambulance Sales. The new ambulance should arrive before the end of the year. The District had previously solicited bids to remount an existing ambulance box on a new chassis, but the costs were comparable to buying a new gasoline-powered unit, so the decision was made to purchase a brand-new ambulance.
Jonathon Voelkel, Hospital Administrator for Preferred Management Corporation, reported that the Culberson Hospital has received a Level IV Trauma waiver from the State to allow mid-level practicioners to cover the Emergency Room with specialized training and the assistance of a telemedicine program to provide services from such specialty physicians as ER doctors, neurologists, phychiatrists and cardiologists. Culberson Hospital is the first hospital in Texas to be granted such a waiver and hopes to serve as a model for other small hospitals to implement the program in the future.
Judy Blazek, Project Manager, briefed the Board on the status of the clinic construction project. Blazek reported that all documentation has been filed with the insurance company on the vandalism claim and a partial payment has been received by the District. After much wrangling and deliberation over the course of three meetings, the Board ratified and approved various change orders for the project. Due to some issues with the lighting and flooring, the board also approved an extension to the project deadline. Kathy Potts, Project Architect, reported that she had conducted site inspections on November 21 and January 15, commenting on the the quality of the construction thus far.
In other business, the Culberson County Hospital District:
• Approved financial reports and accounts payable.
• Approved the waiver of penalty and interest as requested by the Culberson County Appraisal District due to an error in ownership records.
• Learned that the Border RAC has awarded a $40,000 grant for emergency response.
