Care Close to Home Helps Patients Heal
Published Mar 27, 2006
Small-town hospitals in The High Ground, such as Covenant Hospital Levelland, offer quality service and keep patients close to home.
One of the realities of modern medicine is that too often it complicates life. When patients have to leave their hometowns for treatment, family members, too, may be uprooted from jobs, schoolwork, and the supportive help of friends.
With high-quality medical facilities across the High Ground, however, patients can often get well close to home.
“We can’t provide all the medical specialties of a larger town, but here, you’re known by name,” says Oralia Rodriquez, community relations specialist for Medical Arts Hospital in Lamesa. “Even when they have to go to bigger cities for procedures, many of our residents want to be transferred back here for their recovery. They know who’s taking care of them.”
Keeping homefolks close to their families – and keeping families close to their homes, jobs and other support systems – is a major focus for Muleshoe Area Medical Center as well.
“We have an excellent swing bed program, which allows patients to come here after surgery to recover,” says hospital administrator Ray Mason. “We also have an excellent rehabilitation department, so they can continue their physical rehabilitation here.”
While rural hospitals must often defer to larger facilities in oncology, major surgery and other specialties, they need not stand in anyone’s shadow in the quality of service they provide.
For example, at Covenant Hospital Levelland, services include a 24-hour emergency room, an obstetrical unit with separate nursery, radiology services including CAT scan, ultrasound, MRI, mammography and fluoroscopy, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, nutritional care services, inpatient and out-patient surgical services and five medical clinics, says Kathy McDonald, marketing director.
Likewise, Medical Arts in Lamesa is modernizing.
“We are in the process of building a brand-new, state-of-the-art hospital from the ground up,” Rodriquez says.
Chronic disease care and education are important parts of rural medicine.
“We do have a high percentage of diabetics in our community, so we have a diabetic education instructor here in the hospital,” Rodriquez says.
Care of geriatric patients with maladies common to the aged is another rural hospital specialty, and rural clinics offer primary care in communities often devoid of other health care options.
What rural health boils down to, however, is face-to-face, person-to-person treatment and encouragement.
As Mason says, “We make time to take time.”
Story by Cristal Cody
Photo by Greg Emens
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