Hospital Leadership Directed CMS to hospitalcompare.hhs.gov During Meeting
Terri Bunch, Chief Nursing officer, Scott McDearmont, M.D., Chief of the Medical Staff, Chris Gallagher, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Attorney Kevin Reed, Attorney Trent Krienke and Michael McAndrew, Hospital CEO travelled to the Federal Building in Dallas yesterday (Tuesday, October 27, 2015). The purpose of the trip was to meet with representatives from CMS regarding the notice of termination sent on Thursday, October 22, 2015.
McAndrew stated, “Our objective was to present information to them regarding recent surveys that we hoped would, at the very least, mitigate the termination and allow us to continue receiving Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement while working through a plan to satisfy their concerns. We felt that our team did a very good job of presenting our side of things. The CMS staff mostly listened and asked a few pertinent questions. At closing, Ms. Odle who led the meeting told us they would meet together as soon as possible to consider our request to lift the termination. We expect to hear something by the end of this week or Monday at the latest. As I told Ms. Odle, Form 2567 which lists the surveyors’ citations, does not present an accurate or adequate picture of Hopkins County Memorial Hospital. I suggest that if someone wants to see what kind of organization we really are they go to CMS’s own website that rates hospitals, Hospital Compare.Gov. The scores on this website clearly demonstrate a history of low infection rates, high quality care and strong patient satisfaction scores.”
Winnsboro Police Report October 19-25
Five arrests, two accidents, 189 calls for service, and 49 citations and 34 warnings kept Winnsboro Police busy last week.
Two minor accidents occurred on Friday October 23, 2015. A two vehicle accident in the 1000 block of West Broadway and a two vehicle accident at the intersection of South Postoak and West Coke Road were investigated.
On Monday the 19th, Jason Williams, 28, of Irving, was arrested for three Hopkins County warrants.
Tuesday the 20th found Donald Hasler, 39, of Winnsboro arrested for driving while license invalid and wrong false/altered/obscured vehicle registration.
Wednesday Shannon Tier, 30, was arrested for Public Intoxication.
Over the weekend, Austin Henson, 35, of Winnsboro was arrested for theft of a firearm on Saturday and Jeffery Gadlin, 41, of Winnsboro, was arrested on two City of Mt Vernon warrants on Sunday.
County United Way at 80% of Goal
Hopkins County United Way had a big report meeting Tuesday morning. Almost $64,000 came in to boost the grand total so far to $127,859 or about 80% of the $160,000 goal. The drive could go over the top at a report meeting on Wednesday, November 4. Tuesday’s meeting featured brothers Tom and John Sellers and sisters Markeda Fisher and Kayla Price making extra gift contributions to this year’s drive.
100% Club for October 27, 2015; companies/individuals meeting or exceeding the posted goal
Ocean Spray Cranberries
Anytime Fitness
Alliance Bank Corp.
Alliance Bank Employees
City National Bank Corp.
City National Bank Employees
Guaranty Bank and Trust
GSC Enterprises
Cross Motor Sales
Edwards Used Cars
Embroidery Designs
Granny’s Donuts
Ponders Mower and Saw
Sulphur Springs Floral
All World Travel
4 Paws Pet Grooming
Glen Irvin Real Estate
Salad’z & More
Danna’s
Pizza Inn
24 Hour Gym
Century 21 Hometown
Juan Pablo’s
Berning Insurance Group
Kiwanis
Sulphur Springs Health and Rehab
Carriage House
McNew, Spencer, and Hodges
Jim McLeroy
Gregg Price
Austin Academic Center
Sulphur Springs Middle School
Sulphur Spring Elementary School
Lamar Primary
ECLC
SSISD Administrative Complex including:
- Administrative Building
- Maintenance
- Technology
- Special Services
AK Gillis
Audley Moore and Sons
Hall Oil Company
The Pawn Shop
Janeen’s Country Cottage
Ardis Dance
Pioneer Memorial
Allstate – Jeff Clemmons Agency
Town Square Antique Mall
Remax Advanced
Maretate – Dinh Tran
Wildcat Marching Band Top Band in Their Region
Despite the fact that the Wildcats Marching Band hadn’t performed since the Thursday before, the band had one of its best performances of the year Monday at Area competition at Mesquite Memorial Stadium. That according to Band Director Charles McCauley. The Wildcats were the second band of the day to perform and did so without a run through. The band did not advance however they were the top band in their region.
Are you 50 or Greater? I have a Deal for You!
A $2 lunch is available every weekday. It’s true, I have dined at the Senior Center several times. I can personally attest to the $2 lunch. Though I’m not yet a senior (I aspire to become one) Karon Weatherman invited me to sample the meals The Sulphur Springs Senior Center. It’s all prepared and delivered by volunteers, every weekday.
I know what you are thinking… where is the catch? Here’s the catch. You must call ahead and reserve your lunch if you are stopping by to eat or carry out.
November is American Diabetes Awareness Month
November is American Diabetes Awareness Month
American Diabetes Awareness month takes place each November to raise awareness of the disease. Here are just a few of the recent statistics on diabetes:
- Nearly 30 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes.
- Another 86 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
- The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $245 billion.
- Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes by 2050 unless we take steps to stop diabetes.
- Every 19 seconds someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with diabetes.
- African Americans and Hispanics are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.
Diabetes takes its toll on Americans. Diabetes nearly doubles the risk for heart attack and for death from heart disease and is the leading cause of
kidney failure and new cases of blindness among working-age adults. Roughly 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage that could result in pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion, sexual dysfunction and other nerve problems. One in 10 health care dollars is spent treating diabetes and its complications and 1 in 5 health care dollars is spent caring for people with diabetes.
Even though this all sounds very discouraging, diabetes CAN BE managed with diligence. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides an excellent series called “Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes” which covers self-care and nutrition lessons. The series is scheduled to take place in the spring, but individuals needing information sooner may call the Hopkins County Extension Office to make a one-to-one consultation appointment. Of course, your diabetes team consisting of your physician and dietitian should be your first priority.
The theme for the 2015 American Diabetes Awareness Month is “Eat Well, America.” Eating well means more than eating healthy. Eating well means savoring food that is delicious, nutritious and simple to prepare. One of the best go-to websites for diabetes management is the American Diabetes Association’swww.diabetesforecast.org/adm
, offering meal planning, shopping tips, grocery lists, chef’s preparation secrets and delicious recipes.
Every week in November, the Association will introduce recipes for every meal, including snacks and recipes for the holidays and other special occasions, when indulgences can present a challenge to your healthy eating plan. Included will be seasonal recipes and tips from noted cookbook authors and chefs to give Americans the extra boost to incorporate healthy eating into their everyday lives.
Planning and shopping tips will include mapping out a shopping trip, creating a shopping list and choosing budget-friendly ingredients. Preparation and cooking tips will include tools and techniques that guarantee recipe success. Plating and serving tips will guide people with simple steps to create a healthy, nutritious and appealing plate of food—whether at home or dining out. Complete nutrition information for every recipe will be included so that people can decide which dishes suit them best based on their diabetes management plan and personal tastes.
National Healthy Lunch Day will be celebrated on November 17, when everyone will be encouraged to “lunch right with every bite” and make better food choices to counter expanding waistlines, low energy and rising rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity-related illness. On this day, Americans will be asked to make or buy a healthy lunch and encourage employers and restaurants to provide healthy alternatives.
Below is a calendar to post on your refrigerator to remind you to check the website:
- Week One (11/1–11/7): Breakfast – Delicious breakfast recipes that motivate you to get your busy day off to the right start.
- Week Two (11/8–11/14): Snacks – Easy and satisfying snack recipes that make the walk past the vending machine a breeze.
- Week Three (11/15–11/21): Lunch, Including National Healthy Lunch Day – Lunch recipes that get you through the midday hump and keep you on track through the rest of the day.
- Week Four (11/22–11/28): Dinner – Seasonal dinner recipes that ensure you don’t miss out on the autumn and holiday flavors you love.
- Week Five (11/29–12/5): Special Occasion Foods – Healthy special occasion options, including sweets, so you never feel deprived of your favorite treats
and stay on track with good nutrition.
Enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas season while making wise choices. Here’s a tasty recipe to get you started:
Pumpkin Pudding Parfait with Gingersnaps
Ingredients:
1 (1-oz) package fat-free, sugar-free instant cheesecake pudding mix
1 2/3 cups skim milk
1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup light whipped topping and 7 tsp, divided
7 gingersnap cookies, crumbled
Directions:
1) In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk for 2 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2) Fold in the pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Fold in 1/2 cup whipped topping and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
3) Scoop 1/2 cup pudding mixture into each parfait glass. Top each with 1 teaspoon whipped topping and 1 crumbled gingersnap cookie.
Makes 7 servings.
Nutrition information: 15 g carbohydrate
Closing Thought
Treat each other with kindness – everyone has a hardship of some kind to bear.
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
Harvest Festival at First United Methodist Church
Steve Lilly, Volunteer Coordinator of Harvest Festival at First United Methodist Church in Sulphur Springs is inviting all ages to the 36th annual event.
Traditionally, Harvest Festival begins with a Bake Sale by the Hamilton Bible Class, so on Friday October 30, the Bake Sale will be held from 8am til 10am in the Fellowship Hall. Steve says get there early for the delicious selections of all kinds of baked goods and food gifts! The next day, which is Halloween, the Harvest Festival Stew and Chili Supper will begin at 4:30pm. Cost is $5 per adult, with children under 5 admitted free. Halloween costumes are welcome, as families are invited to stop in for supper as part of an evening of fun with their children. Once again, the good cooks at First United Methodist Church take great pleasure in inviting you to their church home for Harvest Festival 2015. A Silent Auction will take place during the dinner hour, then a live auction will start at 7pm with many unique items you will want for yourself as well as for holiday giving. First United Methodist Church is located at 301 Church Street, across from the Post Office in downtown Sulphur Springs.
Breaking: HCMH Presents Steps Taken to CMS; Answer Expected Friday or Monday At Latest
Hopkins County Memorial Hospital Administrator Michael McAndrew said the hospital’s meeting with representatives of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS, went well. Representing the hospital were McAndrew, Chief Nursing Officer Terri Bunch, Austin lawyers Kevin Reed and Trent Krienke with the RCMH Lawfirm in Austin, Chief of Staff Dr. Scott McDearmont and Chief Medical Officer Chris Gallagher. McAndrew felt the CMS representatives listened to what hospital personnel had to say such as the importance of the hospital to the community and the steps taken to correct problems found, most of them done before the surveyors had left. McAndrew said almost all the areas of shortcomings had been completed now. McAndrew said CMS was told of the great staff at Memorial Hospital committed to care of patients.
He said the CMS report noted potential for harm of patients but McAndrew said no patient was harmed. Hospital lawyers told McAndrew hospital staff did a great job presenting their case. They added CMS seemed willing to listen and were open to alternatives other than terminating the hospital’s agreement for Medicare and Medicaid.
McAndrew said he expected to hear something definitive by either Friday or Monday at the latest.
See survey results and response here
See KSST General Manager Jim Rogers editorial comments here
Reynolds Pled Guilty
Michael Brandon Reynolds
Tuesday afternoon in 8th Judicial District Court, Michael Brandon Reynolds, 34, pled guilty to aggravated assault family violence. With two previous trips to the penitentiary, Reynolds was sentenced to 25-years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system.
On May 13th, Sulphur Springs Police arrested Reynolds on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, interference with an emergency request for assistance, unlawful restraint and family violence.
According to law enforcement, Reynolds had restrained his wife and would not allow her to leave their apartment at Spanish Villa Apartments, 601 W. Industrial. She broke free of the restraints and called 9-1-1. During the call to 9-1-1, he took the phone from her and broke it. She was able to run from the apartment to the complex office. At that time Reynolds fled the apartment.
When officers arrived, they searched the apartment and the area but Reynolds was not found. His wife and her stepson returned to the apartment. So did Reynolds. When Reynolds returned to the apartment he took a knife from the kitchen and moved toward the stepson. His wife stepped between them and suffered a laceration on a hand. The stepson, in turned, sought to wrestle the knife from Reynolds. During the encounter, Reynolds sustained a 3-inch nick to the chest. He then broke a window and escaped the apartment running east on Plano Street. Police were again called and notified that Reynolds had been sighted in the 500 block of Pampa and was being chased. He was arrested in the 500 block of Pampa that day.
COMMENTARY: I Trust Hopkins County Memorial Hospital by Jim Rogers
I go on Medicare January 1. That being said, the problems at our local hospital are personal. The hospital gave care to my dad instead of our having to travel to Dallas constantly for medical care at the veteran’s hospital there. Chuck Jones saved his life once. Dad died at home at age 87. My mom has had emergency care when she broke first one leg, then a shoulder, and later the other leg. Mom lives on our farm in the county.
Senior adults have stayed in Hopkins County, moved to Hopkins County, and poured thousands of dollars into the local economy. As we who were born here make life choices, many remain and grow old here so that their children can experience the great life offered through schools and family. Many of us who moved away decided to move back. We came back to take care of our parents, to live on our family farms, or to just be in a place that we know is much safer than so many other places. Plus, being in small town America keeps the bureaucracy at a minimum or so we thought.
Now Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County aren’t perfect. It isn’t perfect because imperfect people live here. Not everything about our city or county is perfect. We all complain about the roads and streets, the lack of specific establishments for food or shopping, and a varied desire as variegated as the people here. However, we have been thankful to have a well-equipped and constantly improving hospital locally.
One of the greatest draws for Sulphur Springs has been its hospital. Seniors have enjoyed the personal care they receive and families have felt comfortable and safe knowing that Hopkins County Memorial is a class act with caring staff. Local doctors are experienced in geriatric care as well as care for all ages. Having a hospital nearby instead of a long drive away saves lives. Accidents for all ages on four-wheelers, in autos, on skateboard, on the sports field, in our homes need immediate attention. No one want to go to a town or city “where they don’t know me”.
Now the local hospital is under attack from the bureaucracy. Certainly, there is the desire to have as safe an environment as possible for those who are ill. While a patient at M D Anderson in Houston following two robotic surgeries conducted at the same time on May 2, 2011, the two team’s lead surgeon’s first words to me were, “We’ve got to get you out of here as soon as possible.” Why? Infections are rampant in hospitals, even world renowned hospitals. Yes, hospitals do miss the mark. Remember Presbyterian in Dallas and the problems they faced with Ebola?
Today, rural hospitals in Texas are struggling to stay afloat. Undelivered promises of federal health reform, payment cuts by both government programs and private insurers, small populations, and, yes, just plan government bureaucratic interference.
You say, “Well, they said it is dirty.” My house gets that way too. It isn’t guest perfect all the time. We get busy. It’s safe, just not perfect. My table wasn’t stainless-steel-sterile when my dear wife removed the pump and cleaned the piece of tubing that hung from my arm while taking chemo for several months. That was four years ago.
They say some things in the freezer were old. If you are like me, I check expiration date on everything before I open it or use it.
It’s a hospital, yes. It should have higher standards and meet those higher standards. Our hospital does… on both counts. Do some things need to be made better? Sure. You’re constantly improving your work, your home, your character. Our hospital needs to make improvements also. They are working on it. They will continue to work on it. I consider several members of the hospital board to be friends. I’ve known hospital administrators here since 1985. I even drew up guidelines for the first volunteer chaplaincy program for the hospital in the early ‘90’s. I can say without doubt that Michael McAndrew and the current board are doing what they can to make this hospital a top rural hospital in Texas. I just hope the bureaucrats realize that too.
