Clinton Memorial Hospital Revisited
Clinton Memorial Hospital Revisited
Last week, I visited Clinton Memorial Hospital for a tour of the facility and to see the progress of their emergency room update and expansion projects. I saw the footprint of the new emergency room. When finished, the size of the emergency room will more than triple and the lab will more than quadruple. The new intensive care unit is state-of-the art. The rooms allow both around-the-clock direct observation by clinical staff and total privacy, as necessary.
Clinton Memorial Hospital is the central medical facility and treatment center for more than 400,000 people that live in the five-county region that includes: Clinton, Highland, Fayette, Greene and Warren Counties.
Clinton County Commissioners: Rick Stanforth, Darleen Myers, and Mike Curry have helped me to learn about the issues facing Clinton County. The hospital and the entire region are fortunate to have these extraordinarily dedicated and professional public servants. Clinton Memorial Hospital can also boast of one of the finest management teams anywhere.
Armed with the data and knowledge supplied by the County Commissioners and hospital management, I was able to present a compelling case to my House colleagues that the vast extent of Clinton Memorial Hospital's service area and the urgent need for updating and expanding its emergency room justified a federal response.
The important facts are:
The emergency room at Clinton Memorial Hospital was built in the 1970s to accommodate 15,000 patients per year. Last year, over 31,000 people passed through the hospital's emergency room doors, including a one-month record 3,312 in December.
With ABX's facility in our backyard, the world literally travels though our neighborhood. Therefore, in this era where bio-terrorism remains a possibility, it is essential that first responders have a first-class, modern, emergency healthcare facility.
With Clinton Memorial Hospital proven to be a vital community asset, Congress voted to support the expansion and modernization of the emergency room with $700,000 in federal funding, in the fiscal year 2004, Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations bill. The Senate passed the Omnibus, which contained the funding line for Clinton Memorial Hospital, after returning from the winter holiday. On January 23rd the President signed bill into law, completing the legislative process.
During the tour, I was particularly moved by the hospital's display in the atrium, showing all the people that have a relationship with the hospital who are currently serving the country in the Armed Forces. Many are on active duty fighting the war on terror in Iraq. It is a fitting tribute to the men and women who risk their lives to protect our security and freedoms.
After the tour we had a ceremonial presentation of the funds where I was joined by Clinton County Commissioners: Rick Stanforth, Darleen Myers, and Mike Curry; as well as the hospital's leadership: CEO, Tim Crowley; Chairman of the Board, Marvin Chamberlin; Debbie Robison, Vice President Administrative and Support Services; Jim Chroust, President of the Clinton Memorial Hospital Regional Health System Foundation; Judy Briggs, VP Nursing. I appreciate each of these people for their devotion and role in bringing the request for funding to fruition. I would also like to thank fellow Ohioan, Rep. Ralph Regula, who Chairs the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, who helped get this appropriation through the Committee.
The residents of the five-county region that includes: Clinton, Highland, Fayette, Greene and Warren Counties, can be proud of their leaders and the first class medical facility in their backyard.