The Texas County Memorial Hospital board of trustees signed a non-binding letter of intent last week with Southern Missouri Natural Gas at their monthly meeting. The firm will use the letter as it seeks financing to run pipelines for natural gas from Cabool to Houston.
Representatives from the City of Houston – Steve Hutcheson, mayor; Larry Sutton, administrator; and Ron Reed, economic developer – attended the TCMH board meeting to request the board’s approval for the letter of intent. Houston Schools and the Durham Co. have already signed a similar non-binding letter of intent for Southern Missouri Natural Gas.
“Natural gas is an economic development tool,” Hutcheson stated. “The city is asking that the hospital review the natural gas proposals and study the economic feasibility to convert to natural gas.”
Hutcheson explained that with the three signed letters from businesses in Houston, Southern Missouri Natural Gas will seek approval from their funding sources, begin pipeline construction in the fall and have the first natural gas customers in Houston on line by the spring of 2009.
“Large industries in surrounding areas have made the conversion to natural gas and have seen immediate savings,” Sutton said, citing plants such as Emerson Electric in Ava and Dairy Farmers of America in Cabool.
Sutton also explained that natural gas is regulated by the Missouri Public Service Commission, making natural gas an attractive energy source for the city. The regulation prevents drastic price changes for natural gas customers.
Wes Murray, chief executive officer at TCMH, explained to board members that it’s much simpler to build with the ability to use natural gas than to try to convert an existing facility to use natural gas. For the current TCMH structure to convert to natural gas, the cost would range from a minimum of $13,000 to $75,000 or more.
“At TCMH, conversion is a misnomer; we would actually be adding natural gas to the propane we already have and must keep in place,” Murray said.
Hospitals must have a backup in case of emergency. In the case of TCMH, propane would serve as the backup to natural gas.
Murray noted that in talking with other hospitals, natural gas can be easily built into new construction projects and may save money for new hospitals.
“Natural gas is something that we will definitely look at as part of our planned new construction,” he said. “My concern today is the start up cost of adding natural gas to our current facility.
“If TCMH is the anchor for bringing natural gas to the community, it would be nice to see an interest in helping us share the expense.”
Sutton also explained the increase in electricity rates at TCMH and throughout Houston as of April 1. “We contacted the hospital prior to 2008 to let them know we expected an electricity increase,” he said.
The net increase in Houston is expected to be 24 percent, a “fairly hard” hit, according to Sutton. However, he noted that in comparing the rate increase in Houston to other towns that use Sho-Me Power, the Houston increase is small.
“We need to look at ways that we can conserve,” Sutton said, explaining that many Houston-based businesses were trying to change their technology with their energy consumption needs by doing things like changing light bulbs or lighting fixtures.
Hutcheson echoed Sutton, saying, “The energy issue is not going to go away.”
Murray stated that TCMH would continue to monitor energy needs and issues.
“This isn’t just a 3 to 5 percent increase,” he said. “We need to look at every cost savings we can find.”
In other news, Doretta Todd Willis, chief nursing officer at TCMH, reported to the board that she and two TCMH nurse managers, Libby Waterson and Kim Jordan, were in Philadelphia last week for training in NICHE-Nurses Improving Care for Health Systems Elders.
TCMH received a $13,870 grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to implement NICHE in the hospital.
“At our training, the NICHE staff imparted their vision of creating a better health environment for geriatric patients,” Willis said. “I am very pleased and proud to bring this back to TCMH.”
During Nurses’ Week at TCMH in May, a “Geriatric Institution Assessment Profile” will be given to all nurses as part of the skills training lab. The test will assess the skill level of the TCMH nurses in caring for geriatric patients. Appropriate training for nursing personnel will follow the assessment. During NICHE training TCMH can invite healthcare providers from a 50-mile radius of the hospital to attend training sessions.
Dr. Jeff Kerr, emergency department director at TCMH and geriatrician, will also provide assistance to Willis and other staff members as the NICHE program is implemented at the hospital.
Willis informed board members that grants are also being pursued to assist the hospital in quality assurance improvement and for telemonitors for Home Health of the Ozarks patients.
Murray reported that the equipment for the sleep studies laboratory has been ordered and should be in within a couple of weeks. Dr. Brian Kim and Dr. Donald Wantuck, pulmonologists from the Chest and Sleep Institute of Springfield, will read the sleep studies and are already seeing patients through the consulting physician clinic at TCMH.
The TCMH Office Annex, the former TCMH Business Office building that has been remodeled to house the sleep studies lab, is still awaiting a new roof. It will go on the building when the weather permits.
Linda Pamperien, chief financial officer, presented the financial report for January. Inpatient and outpatient volume at the hospital was up during January. The average daily census was 18. TCMH had a positive bottom line of $61,278 for January.
Present at the meeting were Hutcheson; Sutton; Reed; Murray; Willis; Pamperien; Dr. Charles Mueller, chief of staff; Joleen Senter Durham, director of public relations; Dr. John Duff, CoxHealth representative; Terri Driesel, physical therapy department director; Darin Saylor, physical therapy student; Greg Bennett, board candidate; and board members Jane Wiseman, Jane Kirkman, Omanez Fockler and Mark Forbes. Board member Larry Southern was not present.
The next meeting is noon Tuesday, March 25, in the downstairs meeting room at the hospital.