Local News
HMHD confirms plans for Royse City clinic
By Daniel Walker
Herald-Banner Staff
The Hunt Memorial Hospital District Board of Trustees affirmed that a Royse City clinic is in their plans during last Tuesday’s HMHD trustee meeting.
Richard Carter, Hunt Regional Healthcare Chief Executive Officer, said that a clinic in Royse City on the west side of Hunt County, was still planned. Carter said that during a strategic planning session a member of the medical staff had questioned whether the clinic was a wise investment — that patients might opt to head west for medical care, but Carter said he still feels that growth in Royse City and Caddo Mills make it viable.
Dr. James Sandin, Assistant Administrator for Medical Affairs, echoed those sentiments. “I would disagree that we can’t attract those patients,” he said, adding that he used to have a large number of patients from that area when he had an active practice.
Documents presented at the meeting indicate the district hopes to open a minor care clinic in 2010, an imagining and rehab center by 2011 and a surgery center in 2011 on district owned property on the east side of Royse City.
Addressing the issue Carter issued the following statement Sunday: “A few years ago the opportunity presented itself to purchase land inside Hunt County that was adjacent to property designated for a major housing project on the east side of Royse City. We bought 14.5 acres of land, and with the Fate and Royse City area rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing areas in the nation, we feel we’ve made a good investment for the future. We have carefully watched the development of that project which we all know has slowed dramatically because of the decline in the housing market.
“What we did Tuesday evening was agree that we should maintain the plan for the HRH clinic in our future, as it would fulfill an opportunity and a responsibility to serve Royse City and Caddo Mills areas with important healthcare coverage. The tentative timeline listed was to have completed various phases of the facilities: the Minor Care in 2010; the imaging/rehab center and surgery center in 2011. Much of this timing was dependent on the housing development, and obviously the dates have changed. Dates that are listed on the strategic goal plans are never set in concrete until the requests for bids go out and contracts signed.
“As I said before, the clinic is still viewed as a viable project, and one we will pursue with careful deliberation,” Carter stated.
Also in the meeting, trustees gave approval to increase the budget of the Hunt Regional Medical Center Podiatric Surgical Program from $189,000 to $228,753. Most of the increase was for salary raises that the program director, Dr. Steven Brancheau, said were necessary to keep the program competitive in bringing in top residency doctors. He added that the program will still operate in the black while bringing prestige to the hospital. Brancheau said that the three residency doctors saw 630 patients with foot and ankle injuries in the ER during the past year. He hopes to increase the number of residency doctors to six by 2012. The salary increase will go from the current $32,000 a year for a first year residency doctor to $42,000 next year and the current $36,000 for a third year residency doctor to $46,000 next year.
The board set July 28 as the date of their budget workshop. The workshop will take place at 5 p.m. before the regular monthly trustees’ meeting.
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