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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Top Stories
Wednesday, June 26, 2002
RCH board OKs 'surgery' on AC in operating room
By LEIA HOLLAND
Staff Writer
PECOS, Wed., June 26, 2002 -- Anyone receiving surgery at Reeves County Hospital
will have a more comfortable experience after the hospital's Board
of Directors approved installing a new air-conditioning system in the
operation rooms last night at the regular meeting in the RCH classroom.
Hospital Administrator Robert Vernor informed the board that the surgical
air-conditioning has been a cause for concern by the Chief Surgeon W.J. Bang.
"This is something that's been the topic of discussion for some time,"
he said. "Most of the discussion has been by our chief surgeon."
Vernor explained that the temperature in the room is very warm, too warm
for what that room is used for.
"When it gets up to 78 degrees he's (Bang) is not a happy camper," he
said.
Vernor asked HGA, the company hired for the hospital renovations, to look
into the cause of the high temperatures.
HGA discovered that the air conditioning unit for the surgical area is
a standard unit.
"They found out that the air conditioning is a standard coverage air conditioning
unit," Vernor said.
Vernor explained that that type of unit does not blow enough air through
the many different filters needed for the surgical areas, therefore it causes
the air to back up and freeze the cooling coils.
Vernor asked the board to consider installing a new unit that would work
properly for surgical needs.
"I want the correct unit up there," he said. "I want it to stay at least
68 degrees all the time."
Since replacing the air conditioning unit is considered an emergency,
Vernor said that advertising for bids is not necessary.
He said that he has contacted Pecos Air Conditioning, who informed him
that they would be able to get the right type of unit and install it.
Bang also requested that the board consider purchasing an Endoscope sterilizer
for the hospital.
Vernor said that all the endoscopes that the hospital owns is made by
Olympus and the hospital would like to purchase a sterilizer also made by
Olympus.
"It is something we need to properly sterilize the endoscopes," Vernor
said.
The board approved the purchase, which will cost $15,810.
The board also approved drilling two water wells on the hospital grounds
for landscaping irrigation purposes.
Vernor said that he had been looking into drilling the wells to help water
the hospital grounds and decided that it would be best to have two wells
drilled.
"I would recommend one on the south end and one on the north end," he
said.
Vernor explained that he has talked with a local contractor who would
drill the wells for $250 each.
Board member Bill Wendt said that he believed that price was very reasonable
and motioned to go ahead with the drilling.
"We better get it while we can," he said.
In other action on Tuesday, Bob Walker and Rob Meese, of HGA, were on
hand at the meeting to give the board an update on the designs for the interior
and exterior hospital renovations.
The pair brought more than one option for the layout and design of both
the interior and exterior and explained that they would be meeting with the
hospital staff over the next day or so to get feedback on which design was
preferred by the staff.
"We are trying to get feedback so everybody would give us their thoughts,"
Meese said.
The board reluctantly approved Dr. James Cam's resignation from the hospital
staff during the meeting.
Cam will be closing his practice at the end of the business day today.
However the hospital already has secured Cam's replacement on staff.
Dr. Oladele Olusanya will be opening his practice on July 1 and will be
temporarily housed in the Pecos Valley Rural Health Clinic.
Along with accepting Cam's resignation, the board also approved clinical
privileges for Olusanya.
Board members also approved bids for property located on East Third and
South Oak Streets from two local residents.
Arturo Hinojos bid $530 for a building and land located on 910 East Third
Street while Moses A. Quiroz bid $2,500 for property at 1019 South Oak Street.
In other news the board approved monthly reports, financial statements
and payment of bills.
Program offers help to families soliving conflicts
PECOS, Wed., June 26, 2002 -- Families in Reeves and four other area counties
can participate in the "STAY Together" program, a conflict resolution, at-risk
youth program that is skill based to reduce parent/child conflict.
Features of the STAY Together program include a no fee charge, 24-hour
intervention/consultation service with at-risk youth ages 7-17. Services
for first offenders 7-9 yrs of age, delinquent offenders 10-16 years of age
and misdemeanor and status offenders are also offered.
Planned in-home visits with family, and parents and youth workshops on
a rotating schedule are also provided A $10 reimbursement for families providing
own transportations to workshop.
The program currently serves Reeves, Pecos, Brewster, Presidio, and Jeff
Davis counties.
For more information call 1-800-422-6775 or 915-837-1395.
Weather
PECOS, Wed., June 26, 2002 -- High Tuesday 103. Low this morning 71. Forecast
for tonight: Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms. Lows around
70. Southeast winds 5 to 15 mph. Thursday: Partly cloudy with isolated
thunderstorms. Highs around 100. East winds 5 to 15 mph. Thursday night:
Partly cloudy with isolated thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s. Friday:
Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Highs 95 to 100. Saturday: Partly cloudy. Lows 65 to 70. Highs 95 to
100.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail newsdesk@nwol.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2002 by Pecos Enterprise
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