Community Members Asked to Prioritize Health Needs

The results of the Community Priority Action Planning workshop were discussed with Texas County Memorial Hospital board members at their monthly meeting on Tuesday.

The workshop, held on April 24 at TCMH, as part of the National Rural Health Center’s Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program, is the second part of a series of meetings with community leaders from across the county. The workshop’s goal was to prioritize actions to improve the health of Texas County based on input from previous meetings and surveys. Helania Wulff, TCMH director of public relations and the community champion for the DRA project, facilitated the workshop along with staff from Delta.

“Two key priorities emerged from the workshop: first, organizing community events that emphasize healthcare access, and second, bringing together all community resource providers to educate the public,” Wulff said. “We are confident that implementing these priorities will enhance the health of Texas County.”

Wulff explained that team leaders have been appointed and action plans will be implemented over the next six to 12 months. Regular team meetings will provide a platform to discuss progress, tackle challenges, celebrate breakthroughs, and recognize accomplishments.

We are deeply grateful for our community partners and their unwavering dedication to enhancing Texas County for the benefit of all,” Wulff remarked. “It is truly inspiring to see everyone united in the mission of improving the lives of others.”

In other business, Wulff provided an update on current recruiting efforts. Bryan Eck, MD, a board-certified general surgeon from the West Plains area, has joined the TCMH medical staff.

“Dr. Eck brings nearly 30 years of experience in general surgery to TCMH, and he will provide general surgery services to patients of all ages,” Wulff stated.

Eck is working part-time at TCMH, seeing clinic patients at the TCMH Professional Building in Houston, providing inpatient surgical services at the hospital.

Wulff reported that three candidates for a full-time general surgeon position visited the hospital and surgery clinic last week. One candidate was from out of the country, another was from out of state, and the third was local.

“We have had some excellent candidates, and we are excited to await their decisions,” Wulff said. “TCMH hopes to have two full-time surgeons to staff inpatient and outpatient surgical services at the hospital.”

April Crites, TCMH quality and risk management director, updated the board members on current patient satisfaction and quality data.

“Our scores for inpatient care, the emergency department, and outpatient ambulatory surgery have remained steady, showing changes of less than four percent in both top-box scores and overall percentages,” Crites stated.

Crites noted that the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems summary score for patient experience at TCMH will be publicly reported in July as “five out of five stars”. The public data for the report comes from the Department of Health and Senior Services.

“The summary score has been four out of five stars since January 2024,” Crites explained. “With small increases of one to two percent in several areas—including communication with doctors, responsiveness of hospital staff, noise levels, discharge information, care transitions, overall ratings, and the willingness to recommend the hospital—we are thrilled to have elevated TCMH to a five-star rating.”

Courtney Owens, TCMH chief nursing officer, recapped the efforts to honor and celebrate nursing at TCMH during the first week of May.  Tara Scott, a registered nurse in the medical surgical and intensive care departments at TCMH received nursing’s highest honor – the DAISY Award.

“Tara was nominated by a patient who was transferred from another hospital due to a bed shortage. The patient submitted a glowing recommendation for both Tara and TCMH, highlighting the excellent care she received,” Owens stated.

Owens also announced that Certified Nursing Assistant Week will be observed from June 16 to June 20.  TCMH will recognize and honor CNAs and techs that contribute to several departments in the hospital. The week will be capped off with breakfast and a “sunflower ceremony”, awarding the Sunflower Award to one of eight CNAs that have received nominations for their work over the past year.

Bill Bridges, TCMH chief executive officer, invited board members to join the TCMH Healthcare Foundation at the annual golf tournament on Saturday, June 7.  The tournament is held at Oakwood Golf Course in Houston.

“There are tee times available in the morning and afternoon,” Bridges said. “The Healthcare Foundation is also seeking volunteers to help during the day, too.”

Linda Pamperien, TCMH chief financial officer, presented the April financials, which reflected a decrease of $553,153 in overall revenues from budgeted monthly expectations. Pamperien attributed the drop to a decrease in inpatient volumes.  April inpatient admissions were at 61, which is up nine admissions from the same time frame in 2024. There have been 343 admissions year-to-date.

The financial report reflected that the hospital’s profit/loss report showed a negative bottom line for April, with a decrease of $316,397 and a year-to-date loss of $279,510. The earnings before interest, depreciation, and amortization (EBIDA) for the respective month were negative at $49,281, and the year-to-date EBIDA was positive at $776,483.

Present at the meeting were Wulff; Crites; Owens; Bridges; Pamperien; Christopher Baldwin, MD, vice chief of staff; and board members Perry; Joleen Durham; Jennifer Hugenot; Jerri Crump, and Ross Richardson.

The next meeting of the TCMH board of trustees is Tuesday, June 24, at 12 p.m. in the hospital board room.