To accomplish positive change without raising taxes, Candelaria said he would seek donations from private companies and public entities to help fund education programs, or as a way to obtain new equipment. Wilson warned of the importance of expanding or upgrading Southwest Memorial to meet care needs spurred on by expected growth in the county over the next four years. She suggested that because of the district s assets, the board is in a better position than SHS to obtain bond-financing for improvements at Southwest. Also, we need more input from the doctors and the medical society on what they want for the hospital because they know how to make it better. Regarding the topic of hospital expansion plans into the Vista Grande Nursing home, Smith questioned the wisdom of having administration offices take up valuable space that could be used for medical purposes in either facility while sensitive patient equipment sits in modulars in the parking lot.
Patients have to be rolled across the parking to get to it.
Domerese remarked that more coordinated efforts between agencies and groups involved in health care locally would result in savings and increased efficiency in providing community care. We need to get back to providing basic care for the community. We have to wait to build it up some, and then establish goals on how to use it. In order to better accommodate indigent care needs, Candelaria said community resources already in place should be looked into before a clinic is considered. Copyright 2000 the Cortez Journal.