If current plans hold, Rockdale residents may be testing a new idea which could provide some 24/7 health care as soon as next spring.
Troy Mode, Rockdale Hospital District (RHD) president, said since J anuary the district has been working with Texas A& M University to work toward what now looks like a “pod” concept for telehealth service.
Under that concept a patient would go to a pod, located locally, and see a physician via video on a computer monitor or phone app.
The physician would make a diagnosis and needed drugs would be dispensed through a kiosk, also local.
HELP — Mode said the university had received a grant to place a pilot program designed to assist communities which have lost their health care.
Rockdale’s hospital and clinics closed one year ago this month.
I n the interval two clinics have opened in Rockdale, the last one on Monday.
“Right now we are in an evaluation phase,” Mode said. “We’re gathering data to find out what we need and how does that get delivered. I t might be something different. The point is to try it out and see what works. Then not only our community but others who are in the same situation we find ourselves will benefit.È
Mode said after about 10 months of discussing the idea, the RHD board voted last month to go forward with the project.
The board had intended to wait until next spring to go public with the plan, hoping it would dovetail with what directors hope will be an election to expand the hospital district to the boundaries of the Rockdale I SD.
TAX BASE—The new Health Point—CHI St. J oseph’s Clinic is supported by a 6.5-cent tax imposed upon district residents.
The board had originally considered a 16.9-cent tax but lowered the figure for 2019 and 2020 only by using district reserves.
Hospital district directors say they already have enough signatures to compel the county to call an election next May to expand the boundaries.
With more persons paying taxes that would lessen the tax burden on Rockdale residents.
However, for that to happen, a majority of the persons in portions of the Rock-dale I SD outside the current hospital district boundary would have to vote in favor of the proposal.
RHD directors pointed out the vote would not be to annex that property into the Rockdale city limits.
“ t has noting to do with city government or the City of Rockdale or city taxes,” board member Dick Burns said. “This is about expanding the hospital district, not the city.”
Two years the city did float the idea of annexing property outside the current city limits. That generated a firestorm from resi0 dents in that area and the idea was shelved after a pair of lively, and sometimes raucous, meetings attended by crowds of 200.
“Since the pod concept became public late last week, I ’ve noticed that some people have assumed it’s going to be free,” Mode said. “ t’s true that this grant from Texas A& M will get it going, without cost to us, but once it is established it is going to need some kind of revenue stream to keep it going.”
EMERGENCY CARE —RHD directors view the concept in the context of building on the new clinic, located on the campus of the former Richards Memorial Hospital, to obtain additional health care services for Rockdale.
Directors said, while they are under no illusions the 24/7 pod would replace the emergency room which once operated at the old hospital, the telemedicine offering would at least be a step in that direction.
They emphasized they believe the best actions for residents to take in regaining emergency care would be to use the new clinic.
At public meetings, a number of Rockdale residents have urged creation of an emergency room, or urgent care, instead of the clinic, a goal directors say simply cannot be accomplished without an established health care facility already in place.
“We need for people to use the clinic,” Burns said. “That can demonstrate the need for more specialists. Then, perhaps, we can open up one of the other suites at the old hospital for them. Then, again, we could show that we really need an emergency room, or urgent care, and make that happen.”
Directors said a public meeting is being scheduled to discuss the new health care concepts.
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