Paris, TN – Henry County Medical Center opened its Thursday night meeting with the long-awaited announcement with Saint Thomas Health that an invasive cardiologist is coming to live and work in Paris and Henry County starting December 1, 2019.
With April Hackney, Vice President of Cardiac Services for Saint Thomas Heart, communicating by teleconference to the meeting, HCMC CEO Lisa Casteel revealed that Dr. Wayne Gibson would be joining the HCMC Kelley Clinic.
“Dr. Gibson was looking at three locations to practice – California, Michigan, and Paris,” Casteel said. “He was very impressed with us and we are excited to announce that he has chosen HCMC.”
Hackney stated that Dr. Gibson wants to work in a rural community and is very excited to join Saint Thomas Heart and Henry County Medical Center. For more information on Dr. Gibson and the HCMC affilliation with Saint Thomas Health, please see the separate news release on the official announcement located on our website at www.hcmc-tn.org.
The meeting continued with a presentation by Chief Finance Officer Dale Guffey on the financials for August as well as a presentation on facilities management by Rob Smith, Director of Plant Operations.
In the financial presentation, Guffey shared with the board that though volumes are higher than last year, they are not meeting budget and with staffing and contract labor, salaries and expenses are up, causing a negative impact to the bottom line. September financials are expected to be similar. Contract labor is being reviewed and with help from a recruitment campaign, HCMC is working to fill the needs in nursing and respiratory therapy, two of the areas where contract labor has been used most. Though net operating expenses were $400,000 more than prior year, expenses surpassed profits, creating a loss of almost $574,000 for the month.
Smith’s presentation was an update to the board on the facilities improvement projects that had been completed this year including the HVAC7 replacement, a new roof for 2 East, outpatient infusion, and the chill water project. He also provided a visual of the risks of aging equipment including other roof challenges, two aging elevators, and issues at the Home Health and Hospice building. Lastly, Smith showed plans for several renovations including the Cardiac Catheterization laboratory, the 2 East renovation and the ER renovation project..
Casteel recognized the 76 employees who represented a total of 1,000 hours of service to HCMC during our September Service Awards program along with the four partners recognized for outstanding service. Nathan Williams, Information Systems, and Jon Marc Gowen, Home Health & Hospice received Partners of the Year and Jacki O’Brien, Education/Infection Control and Rhonda Crossett, HCMC Women’s Center, were recognized and Department Directors of the year. Eight partners were inducted into the Quarter Century Club for 25 years of service with two partners recognized for 35 and 40 years of service to the organization.
In other business:
— The HCMC Board of Trustees also approved to purchase the old Mrs. Betty’s daycare property located behind adjacent to HCMC and received an update on grant programs. Unfortunately, HCMC did not receive the Federally Qualified Health Clinic grant, with only two in the state awarded. HCMC will submit for the FQHC look alike application to move forward with plans for Paris Women’s Center, Transitions Health, and Eagle Creek Clinic.
–Casteel also discussed a new grant that HCMC has been accepted into with 12 hospitals currently participating. With the support of the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), the National Rural Health Resource Center provides selected rural Delta hospitals, clinics and their communities with technical assistance through the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) Program.
–Casteel announced that HCMC will make presentations at the upcoming County Commission meeting on October 21 about the state of healthcare in Henry County. Drs. Whitby, Chandler, Finley, and Mobley will be in attendance to assist in the presentation and board members are encouraged to attend.
Photo: Pictured is Rob Smith, Director of Plant Operations, as he shares with the board visually the facility improvements made this past year along with upcoming needs the organization will need to begin addressing within the facility.
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