Dateline: July 26, 2001

Hospital district starts two new facilities  

Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Two new buildings are on the horizon for the Donley County Hospital District with the first being rushed to completion for an October 1, 2001, move-in date.

The hospital board and personnel with the Associated Ambulance Authority broke ground on the new facilities last Tuesday, and construction crews are busy forming the foundation for a new Community Services Building this week. Dirt work is also proceeding on an adjacent facility for the Ambulance Authority.

The Community Services Building will occupy 2,700 square feet and will house local offices for the Texas Department of Human Services (TDHS), the Texas Department of Health (TDH), and physical and occupational therapy services for Panhandle Rehabilitation Specialists.

District Administrator Alan Graham said TDHS has already signed a lease agreement with the hospital district, and he expects to have agreements in place with the other two services prior to the October 1 completion date.

The Community Services Building will be a wood frame structure with a brick and stucco exterior and a hipped roof. The interior will have a commercial finish similar to the recent remodeling of the Medical Center Nursing Home. Both new buildings will be designed to complement the Medical Center using the same brick and color scheme, Graham said.

The cost of the Community Services Building will be an estimated $175,000.

As workers finish on the first building, they will move to the ambulance facility, which will be a steel structure with an exterior finish like the Community Service Building.

The ambulance facility will occupy 3,000 square feet and will have four ambulance bays, offices for ambulance personnel, and a crew room. The authority currently just has three ambulances, but Graham said the district is planning for future growth by having the fourth bay available.

Other space in the new facility is also dedicated for future activities. Room is being made available to provide telemedicine and expanded hours care for minor emergencies.

Telemedicine services would likely be provided through Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo while the staffing of a minor emergency center is still in the planning stages, Graham said.

“There is a need during some parts of the year to have after hours care,” Graham said, noting that one individual came to the Medical Center Nursing Home after hours recently. “He had a cut on his head and thought he was at a hospital.”

Graham said the nursing home isn’t equipped to handle those kinds of situations, which have happened more than once. Having the ambulance crew nearby would be beneficial in those cases.

The estimated cost of the ambulance facility is $325,000.

Both buildings will be located south of the nursing home, and Dr. John Howard is planning to build a new health clinic nearby. The goal of the district is to create a central location – or complex – for health services in Donley County.

Graham reported Tuesday that workers were planning to pour the foundation for the Community Services Building this week and that framing should begin next week.