In a recent installment of Bluebonnet News Business Briefs, leaders from Texas Emergency Hospital — including Patti Foster, Chief Operating Officer; Michael Adkins, Chief Executive Officer; and Cassie Kavanaugh, Chief Nursing Officer — shared insights into the hospital’s accomplishments and plans for the future.
“We started back in August 2015,” recalled Patti Foster. “We have been here nine years in this community. We began over on Travis Street with four rooms and have since expanded both of our hospitals. We now have 12 rooms and are looking to increase that number to 30.”
Foster highlighted the array of services the hospital, located at 300 E. Crockett St., Cleveland, now provides: a 24/7 emergency room, operating rooms, general surgery, orthopedics, a catheterization lab, outpatient radiology, and laboratory services.
“We have come a long way from the day we stepped into this community. We love being here and being a part of it. We have great relationships with our community and continue to support it in every way we can,” she said.
She also recounted a memorable success story involving a Tarkington man who suffered numerous bee stings while mowing his lawn.
“Our emergency room staff literally saved his life,” she said, emphasizing the hospital’s commitment to excellent patient care.
Foster acknowledged the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic but noted that the hospital turned challenges into opportunities.
COVID was a hard time for all hospitals, but Texas Emergency Hospital made the best of a difficult situation by establishing a vaccination clinic that provided shots to more than 40,000 people and offered COVID testing to another 15,000.
Cassie Kavanaugh, who has been with the hospital for over five years, spoke about the strides made in clinical operations.
“When I started, I realized there was a lot of opportunity for growth. We focused on processes and regulations to ensure all staff understood them,” she said, adding that this allowed the hospital to grow.
Kavanaugh introduced more clinical education, enhancing the staff’s capabilities.
“When COVID hit, we put in IMU rooms, which are a step down from ICU, but it gave us an opportunity to take more critical patients. When we couldn’t get patients transferred out, all that education we had brought to the table for the staff showed we were able to take care of IMU patients in almost every room on our med-surg floor with ventilators. We were able to manage those patients and it really allowed the staff to shine and see what they were capable of doing,” she said.
She also mentioned the expansion of the catheterization lab and the addition of new specialists, including another orthopedist and a peripheral vascular surgeon.
“We will continue to grow and become better than what we are today,” Kavanaugh said.
Evolving with the community
When asked if Cleveland is still considered a rural healthcare area, CEO Michael Adkins explained that designations are changing due to growth.
“Although there are parts of Liberty County that are considered rural, because of the proximity to Houston, we are no longer considered rural healthcare. That both hurts and helps at times with funding and grants,” he said.
Adkins stressed that Texas Emergency Hospital is privately owned by Emergency Hospital Systems, which also operates locations in Humble, Porter, and Spring.
“We’re not doing this with any state or community backing. We have a group of investors who saw the need to provide care in the community. Some of the bigger companies didn’t want to invest the time and money to come here, and we are privately funded by physicians who were willing to open a hospital,” he said.
According to Foster, the emergency room at Texas Emergency Hospital sees about 100 patients per day, handling everything from car accidents and heart attacks to strokes and other urgent conditions.
“If we don’t have the service to provide the care needed, we stabilize the patient, treat them, and then they are shipped out to another facility,” she said, adding that she is proud of the high level of care provided.
She acknowledged that past ownership of the hospital, previously known as Cleveland Regional Medical Center, presented challenges in winning public trust but is pleased with the hospital’s renewed reputation.
“We are providing wonderful care in this hospital. We want everyone to come out, and we’d love to take them on a tour of our facility to let them know what we are doing. Anyone who walks through that door is going to receive the highest level of care,” she vowed.
For more information about Texas Emergency Hospital and the services they provide, please visit their website: https://www.emergencyhospitals.care/
To see the video interview on the Bluebonnet News YouTube page, go online to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQMVudL-29g&t=71s