Hospital district Directors seated
Houston County Courier -  May 2009

By Daphne Hereford
Managing Editor
News@houstoncountycourier.com

Four directors were seated on the Houston County Hospital District board on Tuesday night, May 19 after HCHD President Dr. John Stovall administered the oath of office to them.
Each of the four directors, Position 5 Dr. Patrick Walker, Position 3 Dr. Richard Kelly, Position 7 Virginia Lewis and Position 1 Barbara Crowson, were unopposed in the Saturday, May 9 election and automatically re-elected to their positions on the board.
In other member related business, DR. Stovall opened the floor for nominations to fill Position 9 vacated by Ronnie LaRue.
Dr. Patrick Walker nominated Carol Dawson; Virginia Lewis nominated Tim Culp and Barbara Crowson nominated Yvonne Adams Otis.
Dr. Kelly suggested the board vote and the nominee who received 51 percent would be appointed to the position. Culp received one vote, Otis garnered two votes and Dawson received five votes and given the nod for the appointment.
Dr. Walker presented a brief update on the surgery center saying that the grant amounting to about $189,000 and $38,000 must be spent by September and that the architect mark Strong, “was working on that.”
ETMC Administrator Terry Cutler reported that of the 10 positions in nursing that were open only one remained unfilled. “We anticipate all our positions will be filled. We are the closest we have been in a long time,” he said.
Cutler reported that the Upper Payment Limit (UPL) Medicaid program had already been funded for July and October and said, “We hope that in January 2010 the program will still be there for us to take advantage of.”
Board Member Dr. Ray Morrison introduced Dr. John Bowling assistant dean of rural medicine at the University of North Texas Health Science Center and Dr. David A. McClellan assistant professor of Family and Community Medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center.
Both Dr. Bowling and Dr. McClellan made presentations regarding their respective student and resident programs and praised the construction of the resident housing and the programs available at the hospital that allow the students hands on experience in a rural setting.
 Following the presentations the board adjourned the meeting to the resident housing construction site were the meeting was concluded following a tour of the building.