Hospital’s CEO Adam Apolinar and department heads share positive news during April’s Uvalde Hospital Authority board meeting
by Michael Robinson | Uvalde Hesperian
“We have what it takes to be the best critical care facility in the country: it’s unprecedented,” Uvalde Memorial Hospital (UMH) CEO Adam Apolinar said at Tuesday Night’s Uvalde Hospital Authority Board Meeting Tuesday night, April 23rd.
Several positive news reports were presented by department heads at the meeting.
According to Cancer Center Director Klarissa Ruiz, The Cancer Center is getting additional referrals from Eagle Pass. She stated that Eagle Pass no longer has an oncologist. “We are getting 7-10 referrals a day from Eagle Pass.
The Center is in the process of purchasing a new linear accelerator and also looking to replace the CT scanner to meet the needs of the new physician.
The Center welcomed Dr. Pearson to Oncology earlier this year in January. Director of Clinics Andrew Wells stated referrals have gone up citing 289 referrals for the month of March with 341 outgoing.
Appolinar said UMH is experiencing a huge staffing crisis right now. “We just can’t find the right person.” He went on to say that registration is a very hard position to get fully trained and that personnel hired to do registration move up to billing and coding once new skills are acquired.
Apolinar also said that unlike hospitals in larger cities, UMH has an advantage in that local physicians work with the local hospital rather than competing with it. Local clinics and doctor’s offices often send their patients to UMH for blood draws, lab tests and x-rays.
Apolinar also said that due to the growth the hospital is experiencing, it could eventually grow out of the critical access care designation.
UMH one of the top three employers in Uvalde
In her report to the board, Human Resources Officer Charla Garcia UMH has a total of 680 employees out of which 618 are employed full time.
UMH one of the top 5% of top hospitals in the U.S.
According to UHA board Member William “Bill” Kessler. UMH has earned the designation as one of the top 5% of all hospitals in the United States. As a 5 star rated hospital, the nearest 5 star hospital to UMH is located in North Texas.
Shorter emergency room wait times compared to San Antonio hospitals
In a report by Chief Nursing Officer Carlos Gregorio. UMH emergency room has an average 119 minute wait time from the time of a patient walking in until the patient gets his/her prescription compared to the 3-4 hour wait times at hospitals in San Antonio.
