Hospital Board Talks Indigent Care
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – The Houston County Hospital District (HCHD) board met Tuesday, Apr. 16 in what was expected to be a difficult debate over renewing an agreement for indigent and related care with Mid-Coast Medical. As it turned out, the meeting was cordial and professional, with both sides of the issue coming to an agreement and extension of the contract.
Mid-Coast had a preliminary first-year agreement with the district dealing with indigent care and the agreement was renewed, with some modifications. The new agreement is for a two-year extension and the amount of money the hospital can request, as needed, for special care categories was not specified. In the original agreement, Mid-Coast was able to request up to $200,000 in extra funds, if approved by the board. Mid-Coast made no such requests their first year, so no money was used. The new agreement sets no limit on what Mid-Coast can request, although HCHD board will have to approve any extra monies, if needed and requested.
The bylaws for the district were amended slightly, essentially to ensure they comply with state laws and best practices. An HCHD board member cannot miss more than five meetings in a year without a board-approved reason or they will give up their seat on the board, automatically. HCHD meetings are some of the best attended in the county, with members attended almost every meeting.
In other business, Mid-Coast is still completing their yearly audit and was not able to provide concrete numbers regarding indigent care, after being asked for an update by Board Member Carol Dawson.
The ambulance report noted there were 264 calls during the month of March, with 184 transports. The majority of these were taken to Mid-Coast, (79%) with the rest split between Palestine, Lufkin, Trinity and Huntsville. Average response times in the city of Crockett were an impressive six minutes, with an average of 20 minutes in other parts of the county.
Early voting for four HCHD positions begins Monday, Apr. 22, with the election set for Saturday, May 4. See related article in today’s edition for more information about these elections.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
