OHH wins ambulance funding from County

Young County Commissioners gave the Olney and Graham hospitals another round of federal COVID funds while quizzing hospital officials about whether Olney Hamilton Hospital should combine operations with Graham Regional Medical Center to save the County money. OHH Administrator Michael Huff and Graham Hospital Chief Executive Officer Shane Kernell made a joint appearance at the Commissioners’ April 24 meeting to request funds for their operations. The Commissioners voted to give OHH just $75,000 of the $100,000 it requested to repair and repaint one of its four ambulances and to purchase communications equipment for the Emergency Management Service building in Olney. Mr. Huff said the funds will cover the ambulance repairs only. The Commissioners also gave $75,000 to Graham Hospital for a new first responder truck for its EMS director.

After approving the funds, Judge Graham may have hit a political third rail by suggesting that the hospitals combine operations.

“It just seems like we are a pretty small county and there is so much duplication - have we ever looked at merging these two hospitals into one instead of all this duplication?” he asked the two hospital administrators.

Mr. Huff said the two CEOs had discussed merging EMS operations but “not the institutions.” Mr. Kernell responded that the two institutions shared overhead and providers, and split some services, such as obstetrics, between them.

“As small as a county as we are, there has got to be a way,” Judge Graham pressed.

“I agree on paper it makes sense but politically it would be something I personally wouldn’t want to touch,” Mr. Kernell said. “Olney is the oldest operating hospital in the state of Texas and Graham has the biggest population - which one would you go with? It’s a tough decision.”

After the meeting, Mr. Huff said the idea “sounds logical on its face but it’s a little more complicated.” “Right now we are both doing fine and the doctors are happy and the patients are getting good care,” he said. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”