Van Horn, Texas (July 20, 2021) – The Culberson County Hospital District (CCHD) shared the latest improvements to the Culberson Hospital campus with community residents and visitors during a Jubilee reception last Saturday.
Improvements include the new façade and parking lot, echoing the design of the hospital addition completed in time for the 2010 Jubilee, and the new Van Horn Rural Health Clinic which opened in 2018.
During her presentation, Laura Reyes, CCHD president, expressed “profound appreciation to our taxpayers for making these projects possible.” She also acknowledged the hard work and commitment of current CCHD board members: Angie Perez, vice president, Lindsey Tyrrell, secretary, Edwin Easley and Cheryl Owen, as well as the CCHD’s chief financial officer, Rebecca Brewster.
“It is the District’s goal to make sure our hospital and clinic facilities will continue to serve the health care needs of the county well into the future,” Reyes explained.
Reyes asked members of the Lipsey family who attended the event to unveil a plaque honoring the contributions of Billy C. Lipsey, M.D., to Van Horn and Culberson County. Dr. Lipsey, who established the town’s first medical clinic, was also instrumental in the development and operation of the original Culberson County Hospital completed in 1970.
In his comments, Cully Lipsey, one of Dr. Lipsey’s sons, expressed his family’s appreciation for this honor. Siblings Charlie and Ellen Lipsey, were likewise on hand to remember their father and his contributions to family and community.
The reception also served as a formal introduction to David J. Cummings, M.D., the latest physician to join the medical staff of Culberson Hospital and Van Horn Rural Health Clinic. “Although Dr. Cummings joined our staff in late 2019, plans to officially welcome him to the community fell victim to COVID-19,” explained Rick Gray, Culberson Hospital administrator.
Brief presentations were also made by Andy Freeman, president of Preferred, the company who operates the hospital and clinic, and Judy Blazek, hired by the CCHD in 2008 to serve as project manager for the various construction projects.
Both thanked the community and District for their continued support of the hospital and clinic. “It is hard to believe that the hospital was within days of closing in 2004 when the District first contracted with Preferred to provide management services,” noted Freeman. “Working as a team with the CCHD and the community, we were able to restore the financial stability of the hospital and today are proud to be a part of the many milestones achieved by the CCHD since 2010.”
