Milam County Commissioners voted Monday in the county courthouse to create a Milam County Medical Task Force.
The new group, which will be composed of representatives from around the county, will be tasked to come up with recommendations to improve after-hours medical care, a means to increase the ambulance service and suggestions on how to help the Rockdale Hospital District make use of the building that use to house the hospital in Rockdale.
The county used to have two hospitals, one in Rockdale and the other in Cameron, each with an emergency room, but they both closed in 2018.
There is the telehealth station in the Milam County Sheriff’s Office, but it is underutilized right now, County Judge Steve Young told commissioners.
Currently the county has three ambulances with one stationed in Rockdale, another in Cameron and the third in Milano.
The problem with after-hours medical care and possibly adding a fourth ambulance is money.
The county, Rockdale and Cameron currently each pay $100,000 for the ambulance service and a fourth one would, of course, cost more.
“The only way that I can think of to fix these problems is with more money and we don’t have that more money,” Young said. “The only thing we could do is raise taxes and I think that is not the thing to do.”
“I think after hours care is something that is really nice, I’m just not sure it is viable,” he said.
He also mentioned that the committee could possibly help determine a future use for the building that used to house the hospital in Rockdale. It is currently being taken care of by the Rockdale Hospital District.
The district is currently using the tax dollars to maintain the building, Young said.
“The building is in pristine condition. If you have been in it you know it is in great shape and we have been using it every week for the vaccination clinics,” he said. “I am wanting to help them do
“I am wanting to help them do something with that building. We need somebody to use it,” Young said, noting that the building was not the responsibility of the county, but it would benefit the county if it was put to good use.
“This will be a great opportunity to look at it and maybe they can figure it out,” Young said of the as yet to be appointed committee members.
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