Hospital board hears EMS report, approves repairs

By Jan White
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CROCKETT – At the regular meeting of the Houston County Hospital District, board members were presented with Houston County Emergency Medical Services’ monthly operating report for February 2022.

EMS received 254 requests for service. There were 158 patient transports, 42 Crockett Medical Center transfers, 63 non-transports, and 27 canceled calls. The helicopter division received 21 requests for standby, with seven patients actually transported by EMS.

A graph provided to the board showed that the total call volume decreased from January’s numbers, and overall call volume has decreased from 2021. The chart also gave a breakdown of call volume by category, with trauma as the top category followed by respiratory and cardiac, falling into second and third place.

Board members participated in a lengthy discussion regarding a bid for insulation of the Ambulance Building. Greg Gardner submitted a proposal to remove old insulation and damaged ceiling tiles, install five-inch spray foam at the metal deck, and replace damaged ceiling tiles for $8,400. The board was encouraged to act quickly due to the possibility of the rising cost of materials, transportation costs, and the time-sensitive nature of the bid. A motion was made and seconded to accept the proposal, which unanimously passed.

Board President Barbara Crowson conveyed the results of a discussion with the hospital administrator regarding reconds management. The administrator is prepared to remove all records to a central location and provide space and access to those records. “Because of inaccessibility due to Covid, we have had to wait a very long time,” Crowson said. 

Once documents have been discarded or shredded based on HIPAA guidelines, the administrator will provide safe and secure storage space for those records. Committee members will meet with the hospital administrator to go over the recommendations.