Board of Managers Monthly Update – August
August 30, 2024 /
On Monday, August 26, 2024, the Titus County Hospital District Board of Managers met for the regularly scheduled monthly meeting. The meeting was opened in prayer by Dr. Clint Davis, pastor of First Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant. Dr. Davis took a few moments to thank the Board and Titus Regional Medical Center (TRMC) Administrative Team for their ongoing support of First Baptist Church’s mission work. Dr. Davis thanked the board for “their part in allowing them to do what they know can’t be done alone.”
Visitors included Corey Shank, Jordan Pape, and Kami Hunt with Texas Tech Health Science Center in Lubbock, Texas. This team had spent the day filming interviews and footage for a video project outlining the Tele-Psychiatry program being piloted in the TRMC Emergency Department. Shank shared that Titus has been instrumental in the program and is helping to build a scalable platform that can be utilized in rural hospitals throughout the state of Texas. This program allows for patients experiencing a psychiatric emergency to be seen by a psychiatrist care team virtually in addition to medical care offered by the Emergency Department provider. Titus Regional was the first facility to launch the program and has already seen about 100 patients. Initial outcomes from the project have seen a 50% decrease in inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations by diagnosing and treating the patients locally. Shank commended the leadership for building a team that displays a true passion for the care of the community.
TRMC leadership reviewed highlights from their recent attendance to the annual EPIC update in Wisconsin. EPIC, TRMC’s electronic medical record (EMR), is the most widely used EMR in the world. TRMC is the only independent rural hospital in Texas using EPIC. Enhancements forthcoming will continue to improve the care to our patients locally and expand their ability to access their care through MyChart.
In financial matters, the board approved the purchase of four Echocardiogram instruments to enhance our ability to care for cardiac patients. This technology enables us to provide an advanced approach in cardiac care. The board also approved a proposal to leave the tax rate unchanged for the upcoming year. This proposed rate will be officially voted on during the upcoming Tax Rate Hearing on September 23, 2024.