Kernell provides update on GRMC, COVID-19

Graham Regional Medical Center CEO Shane Kernell updated the Rotary Club of Graham Tuesday, providing where the hospital has been in the past to now and answered questions related to COVID-19.

In the last few years Kernell said the hospital has implemented growth initiatives which have had a positive effect within the community at GRMC and surrounding area centers.

“Dr. (Steven) Vaughan, general surgeon, was added last summer. He has been very positive for the hospital,” Kernell said. “We have grown our infusion therapy center that is dedicated 24/7 inside the hospital. That has been very good. We have implemented a couple new lines of services. One, is our cardiovascular imaging center that does echocardiograms and stress echo tests. That has been very positive.”

Kernell said additionally the hospital added a primary care physician, added staff to the Young County Family Clinic and assisted in bringing in additional doctors for Graham Medical Associates. With the addition of Vaughan, Kernell said there was a 21% fiscal year increase from 2018 to 2019 in the surgery volume. The number, which includes inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures, went from 765 to 926.

“That was a 21% increase primarily in your outpatient setting, but we also saw an increase in our inpatient setting,” Kernell said. “So that was a great year for us 2019. You get into this year with the pandemic, the governor of Texas back in April put a mandate out that we had to stop all elective surgeries that require an inpatient bed (for) all hospitals in Texas. So, you can imagine what that did to our numbers and revenue, but fortunately for us we have kept pace.”

For the rest of the story, see the Aug. 15 edition of The Graham Leader.