Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
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| $7.5 million bond issue will construct new inpatient facilities and imaging area, as well as renovate other areas of our hospital to keep it serving citizens locally for the next 40 years. See story for more details. |
- Directors of Culberson Hospital District, at a special meeting last Thursday evening, announced that they are asking local voters to consider approving a $7.5 million bond issue in May, 2008.
The $7.5 million bond issue will be used to finance additions and improvements to the existing nearly 40 year old Culberson Hospital, which is leased to Preferred Management, an Oklahoma based operator of hospitals in Texas and Oklahoma.
Representatives of Preferred Management, the hospital’s administration and staff, and the consulting company that performed the study were on hand to answer questions last Thursday.
The proposed bond issue comes to Van Horn as the result of a study which was initiated by the Hospital District to take a long, hard, serious look at the hospital facilities, services, staffing and other areas to see how the facility can continue to operate and care for local citizens for the next 40 years.
The study was paid for through a $50,000 grant which the District received from the Texas Office of Rural Community Affairs (ORCA). And, after a competitive bidding process, Business Strategies, Inc., an Oklahoma City health care consulting firm, was selected to conduct the facility and equipment assessment and to make recommendations regarding the future development of health care services in the county.
Judy Blazek, president of Business Strategies, Inc., was on hand at last Thursdays meeting to formally present her findings and recommendations.
Her company looked at the existing facility and determined that there were a number of problem areas. Among them are: 1) Only a few areas of the facility are covered by an automatic sprinkling system for fire suppression;
2) One of the boilers serving the hospital is out of commission and code requires that the hospital have two boilers so that one can serve as a backup;
3) There are no backup systems supporting the air conditioning in the hospital. If a single chilled water pump or condensing water pump fails, the air conditioning system will fail;
4) Many areas of the hospital, including the patient rooms, do not meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act or Texas Accessibility Standards;
5) The current through the wall air conditioning units in the patient rooms do not meet current code.
Additionally, the hospital has received waivers relative to many of the code issues identified, however, there is no guarantees that these waivers will be extended indefinitely. And, as the hospital makes major renovations in the future, it is likely that it will be required to correct these deficiencies.
The study further noted that the hospital would like to make improvements in patient care areas that would have the greatest impact on patient satisfaction such as availability of private rooms and private restrooms and showers.
It also revealed that the existing facility is inadequate to efficiently accommodate the services provided or planned for the future. And, the age of the electrical/mechanical systems makes it extremely difficult to add new technology or even acquire parts.
During the past two years, the hospital and Preferred has done a lot to improve the facility. These things include:
* Recruitment of new physicians and physicians assistants.
* Construction of a new 4,000 square foot clinic.
* Purchase of a new CT Scanner with upgraded software.
* Replace all hospital beds.
* Recruited a new physical therapist and related equipment for this new service.
* Replaced the roof.
* Purchased two sate-of-the-art ambulances.
* Added the latest automated laboratory equipment.
* Installed a backup emergency generator to keep essential services going during periods of power outage.
In conclusion, the study states, “However, the magnitude of the problems, concerns and needs of the hospital cannot be easily or cost effectively addressed through a series of small renovation projects, and the revenues generated by the hospital cannot support a larger project.”
The study recommends a $7.5 million bond issue to finance the proposed increases in inpatient care unit, emergency department, imaging center, now outpatient entrance, new central plant, renovation of other hospital support areas, and renovation of the existing inpatient unit for a physician clinic.
The projected $7.5 million will be used as follows:
* $3.6 million for construction of 12,000 square feet of new hospital construction;
* $900,000 for the renovation of 9,000 square feet of support space;
* $455,000 for 4,550 square feet of clinic space renovation;
* $45,000 for 450 square feet of EMS renovation and expansion;
* $125,000 for sitework;
* $900,000 for equipment;
* And, $1.475 million for A & E fees, financing fees and contingencies.
And, Blazek, said, “this proposed bond issue will not cost the local taxpayer any more than they are already paying. It’s a win-win situation because Medicare will pay for most of the debt over the next 20 years.”
Blazek continued by saying, “With interest rates what they are today, now is the time for this issue because of the favorable rate we’ll likely get.”
She went on to state, “If you do nothing and instead opt to piece meal these improvements over time, it will almost certainly cost you much more than the projected $7.5 million.”
She also noted that the hospital is a vital part of the community and with it’s designation as a “Critical Access” facility, this adds to the importance. Additionally, the hospital provides a significant economic impact to the local economy with some 50 full time employees who live here, pay taxes, and make purchases locally.
Following Blazek’s presentation, representatives of Preferred Management and the hospital district threw their support behind the proposed $7.5 million bond issue and noted that voters will be asked to approve the bond issue in the May 2008 elections.
Additionally, Preferred and the hospital district will make every effort to insure that folks locally understand the significance of these recommendations and why the bond issue is best for the community.
This effort will commence with a first Town Hall Meeting on Thursday, February 7th. The Town Hall Meeting will be open to all citizens and taxpayers and will be held at the Van Horn High School Auditorium beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Trustees hold special meeting to name finalist
Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District trustees met in special session last night. The purpose of the session was to officially name the finalist in their search for a new district superintendent.
Since the meeting was going on as the Advocate was being printed, we’ll report on the results of that session next week.