The City of Orange is taking the lead to spend about $40,000 to hire a healthcare consultant firm to survey the medical needs of the county so statistics are available to attract someone to build a new hospital. The Orange City Council will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday with the agenda including a resolution to spend money for the survey and a staffing model.
The resolution lists the “scope of the project” as an acute care facility with between 15 and 40 inpatient beds and six to 10 beds in an emergency room. Other county entities will be involved. City Manager Dr. Shawn Oubre said the study will be the first step. “There’s no hospital to be built” at this time, he said.
Government officials, along with business and civic leaders have been working to get a new hospital since Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas announced earlier in the year that the inpatient part of the Orange hospital would be closed. The inpatient section closed in May. The hospital still operates the emergency room and a number of out-patient services.
Also on the agenda for Monday will be one for the City Council to endorse a resolution supporting a local effort to turn the old Baptist hospital into an inpatient clinic for the U.S. Veterans Administration.
Oubre said the two projects are separate but still part of an effort to get more health care for Orange County. He said the City Council is allowing him to spend time on getting a hospital and the city is working with the county and other cities. The Stark Foundation is also involved and will be contributing to the money to pay for the consultant firm.
The proposal for City Council is coming from NewLife Healthcare of Austin. Oubre said physicians in Beaumont recommended the firm. Oubre and other local officials have been going to hospital and healthcare companies to try to attract one to Orange County. Oubre said the companies all want to know statistics and demographics for the county including the amount of Medicaid and Medicare payments from residents plus how much worker’s compensation is in the county.
The costs will be $26,750 for the “new hospital pro forma to include the staffing model.” In addition, the consultant will get $10,000 for the demographic and service needs assessment. NewLife Healthcare will also get travel expenses. Oubre estimates the total cost will be about $40,000.
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