Dr. Rasmussen Plans Return to Clinic Practice at TCMH

At their monthly meeting last week, Texas County Memorial Hospital board members learned that Charlie Rasmussen, DO, will practice in a TCMH clinic again in January 2026.

Rasmussen, a family medicine and obstetrics physician, will practice part-time at the TCMH Medical Complex in Houston. Rasmussen currently works with 360 Degree Medicine providing emergency room physician coverage for TCMH, and he will continue to work in the ER, too.

Rasmussen previously served patients at TCMH for six years beginning in August 2007, providing full-spectrum family medicine and obstetrics services, seeing patients from birth to end of life. Rasmussen, his wife Stacey, and their daughter Rylee currently reside in Branson, Missouri.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Rasmussen back to TCMH,” Bill Bridges, TCMH chief executive officer, said. “He is a trusted and respected physician who has made a lasting impact on our hospital and the patients he serves. His return strengthens our commitment to providing exceptional healthcare close to home.”

“I’m very happy to be returning to TCMH and to the community that means so much to me,” Rasmussen said. “It’s an honor to once again serve the people of Texas County alongside such a dedicated team.”

In other news, April Crites, TCMH Quality and Risk Management Coordinator, reviewed the hospital’s third-quarter Quality Assurance Performance Plan results and highlighted several successes with board members.

Crites shared that the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks collected 177 units of blood at the hospital in 2025, a significant increase compared to the 99 units collected in 2024.

“We are very pleased with these results, and we still have one more blood drive scheduled for November,” Crites said. “We expect to double last year’s total, which is outstanding and a wonderful reminder of how much our community cares for others.”

She also highlighted the hospital’s physical therapy department. Last year, 96 outpatient physical therapy orders were received, while this year that number nearly doubled to 179. “This is an outstanding reflection of the dedication of our physical therapy team and the excellent work they are doing with our patients,” Crites stated.

Crites reported that the Medical Office Complex in Houston has been working to improve Medicaid patient compliance with weight assessment counseling for children and adolescents during well-child exams. “We are pleased to announce that the clinic has increased compliance by 16 percent, rising from 47 percent in the second quarter to 63.9 percent in the third quarter,” Crites said. “While this measure reflects compliance, it also represents an important step in preventive health aimed at managing obesity and promoting a healthy lifestyle. This initiative has the potential to reduce the risk of health problems such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

Bridges reminded board members that TCMH will host a legislative day on Tuesday, November 12. The event will welcome local, state, and federal legislators, as well as individuals that have declared their candidacy for office, to visit the hospital and participate in discussions about rural health care needs.

“Our commitment is to ensure that the citizens of Texas County have access to quality health care,” Bridges said. “Connecting with our legislators really shows how much we care about securing long-term health care funding for our community.”

Bridges announced that the annual online auction for Hospice of Care will take place from November 27 to December 5. This year, a new live auction celebration will be held at Piney River Brewery from 5 to 8 p.m. Auction items will be showcased at the brewery, and the evening will include final bidding along with additional activities that will be announced later.

“We hope our community will come out and support this important cause,” Bridges said. “Hospice of Care provides services to patients and their families regardless of their ability to pay, and the annual auction helps support those services.”

Linda Pamperien, TCMH chief financial officer, presented the September financials, which reflected a slight increase of $64,122 in overall revenues from budgeted monthly expectations.

September inpatient admissions were at 82, which are down in comparison to the admissions from the same time frame in 2024. There have been 728 admissions year-to-date.

The financial report reflected that the hospital’s profit/loss report showed a negative bottom line for September, with a decrease of $35,695 and a year-to-date loss of $1,361,518. The earnings before interest, depreciation, and amortization (EBIDA) for the respective month were positive at $225,939 and the year-to-date EBIDA was positive at $1,008,348.

Present at the meeting were Bridges; Crites; Pamperien; Courtney Owens, chief nursing officer; Helania Wulff, public relations and marketing director; Amanda Lemp, DO, medical staff secretary; and board members, Joleen Durham; Ross Richardson. Jerri Crump and Jennifer Hugenot joined via teleconference. Board chairman, Jim Perry, OD, was not present at the meeting.

The next meeting of the TCMH board of trustees is on Tuesday, November 25, at 12 p.m. in the hospital board room.