Hospital standing tall after hurricanes of years past

Debby Schamber

Memorial Hermann Baptist Hospital Orange has remained a fixture in the community through several hurricanes over the years.

In addtion to their many services, they will continue to meet the needs of their patients with their state-of-art scanning equipment. Most recently a new radiology unit as been added.

With the help of U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, the Theresa Fillyaw CT Scan Room was created. The room is named in honor of the late wife of Economic Development Corporation Director, Bobby Fillyaw.

Brady successfully played a role through assisting with funding for the facilty through the Office of Rural Community Affairs’ Hurricane Rita allocation. Other contributors included the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation which has been a supporter of MHBH-0 for many years. The foundation also provided funding for MRI equipment.

The new equipment could save many lives by allowing faster diagnosis with better resolution. In the blink of an eye hospital workers can take an image of any organ, artery or vein throughout a person’s body. The results are available in minutes with doctors begin able to clearly see and make a diagnoss much faster.

The equipment also exposes the patient to less radiation while providing twice as much coverage of the body with just one scan.

Many things have changed since the opening of the hospital in 1957. Officials are working toward the future with plans on making people healthy.

The hospital has partnered with local businesses to form the HealthWorks program. Together they will identify, address and eliminate employee health risks before things get out of control with costly health care claims.

The program will get of the ground by prevention, screening and education services for employers. Then they will schedule on-site body fat measurements and health education seminars.

Also part of the plan will include confidential surveys which will allow the hospital to identify the companies’ overall health status. They will also do personal health reports for health risks and how to help the employee improve their health status.

A workforce health profile will allow employers to see where their company rates with other companies and focus on improving their health status.

Finally to serve as a reminder for employees there will be wall-mounted displays of educational material which will include health issues and on how to stay healthy.

“From the addition of the Emergency Care facility added in 2005 to the latest imaging equipment, we are putting the care of out citizens at heart of what we do,” said Mary Poole, hospital spokeswoman in a statement.