Published: May 09, 2008 02:28 pm         

Two seek hospital board seat on countywide ballot

Hopkins hopes to retain place, opposed by Baeza-Rodriguez

By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com

While there is much focus on the Mineral Wells ISD school board race, many county residents will be focused on another contested election Saturday – the race for Place 4 on the Palo Pinto County Hospital District board.

Fifty-one county residents turned out to vote early in person and one resident requested to vote by mail.

Although three hospital board terms are up for renewal, only Place 4 is contested. That contest includes two candidates – incumbent Mike Hopkins and newcomer Genevieve Baeza-Rodriguez. Board members Richard Dennis (Place 5) and Kathy Boswell (Place 6) will retain their seats for another term since they are unopposed.

Place 4 candidates made statements at the Palo Pinto County Republican Women’s Forum at the Mineral Wells Senior Center last week. This week, the Index followed up their forum comments with two additional questions:

• What strengths or assets do you bring to the board if elected or reelected?

• What are the key issues facing healthcare in the near future?



Genevieve Baeza-Rodriguez

Strengths and assets

Genevieve Baeza-Rodriguez said that in the past 25 years as a Mineral Wells businesswoman, she has “learned the essence and duties of business.”

“What I’ve learned during this past 25 years has been a tremendous growth as a business woman in all aspects of self-employment.

“My business experience is very diverse, but it is very strong. I will bring that strength with me on the board,” she said.

When asked to expound on her business experience, Baeza-Rodriguez said this includes her “ability and capacity to get a business off the ground from the start [and to] add two businesses – the check cashing business is extremely successful.”

She defined success as “[staying] afloat in the ups and downs of the economy,” adding that her business has remained while many other local businesses did not.

“I have a tremendous amount of customers – many of them are our friends,” she said. “I’m in good standing in all my fiscal and financial responsibilities. I don’t owe a penny to anybody.”

Baeza-Rodriguez said that other strengths also include, “I’m a very, very compassionate person. I have come to the aide of people of diverse kinds of needs in town. I practice my compassion day in and day out.”

“I’m very respectful of people and I am very assertive. I’m willing to go out on a limb when others are not or while others remain quiet,” she added.

“What is going to define me is [as a] liaison between the community and hospital. I will continue to give excellent compassion and quality care,” she told forum-goers last week.

Heath care issues

“It’s a sad state of affairs,” Baeza-Rodriguez said regarding key issues facing health care in the near future. “Children don’t have insurance. Many people of meager means do not have insurance. Senior citizens, who worked hard all their life, cannot afford health care. And this is important for all hospitals, but for a rural hospital it’s a greater demand.”

“Do I have an answer? I do not,” she said. “Do I have hope? Yes I do.”

She noted last week that PPGH, “as we know it, did not exist,” but with construction and updates in technology and medicine, “it is today’s facility.”

“When the hospital was little, we did not have programs you enjoy today,” she said. “I would like to be part of this dynamic hospital and be part of the growth.”

“The closer the election gets, I am more and more excited. I will be dedicating my time to the benefit of Palo Pinto County, and that makes me feel good as a citizen. I think it will be very arduous work, but I think my life will be so rich and I will be blessed because of it,” she said.

“In order for the hospital to remain competitive, we must remain on a fiscally responsible growth path. We cannot stop growing because if we do, we die.

“We must bring the residents on the southwest corner of the county – many going to Stephenville [for hospital care] – back where they belong in Mineral Wells.

“We must strive to retain the citizens of Palo Pinto County in the Mineral Wells hospital,” she said.

“I’m not willing to offer them [our residents] as a token gift to the hospital in Weatherford. As a jeweler, I’m not going to send my customers to Weatherford; why should I send our patients to them?” she concluded.

Mike Hopkins

Strengths and assets

Vying for a fourth, two-year term as a trustee is Mike Hopkins. When asked what strengths and assets he brings to the board if reelected, Hopkins noted he has six years of hospital board experience. Hopkins said he has been board vice president for two terms and served as secretary/treasurer for one term. He added that, if re-elected, he would move into the position as president.

He added that he has an education and background in accounting. He said this makes him the “watchdog of the hospital as far as accounting goes.”

Additionally, Hopkins said he has accrued 100 hours of training as a hospital trustee and with his service and training comes “understanding” and “knowledge.”

“It takes almost two terms to understand the hospital. I have knowledge of hospital events and what’s going on with state and national [issues, like] Medicare and Medicaid.

“Right now, [PPGH has] a very cohesive board. If we disagree, it’s easy to talk to each other,” he said.

Hopkins added that serving on the hospital board is different than other public boards because of the language and understanding members must have of national and state legislation and issues.

“It’s more comprehensive and the learning curve is steeper,” he said.

Heath care issues

On the topics of key issues facing PPGH and health care, Hopkins said, “The main thing is concentrating on patient care – we look at that every month.”

He pointed out that a recent community discussion has been the implementation of a hospitalist program. This is where physicians – specially trained to work inside the hospital – work to specifically provide in-patient care. He explained that this relieves the time and stress on local family physicians and is keeping in line with most hospitals.

Additionally, he pointed out that hospitalists “can see things sometimes that a family doctor might not. [They are] another set of eyes to medical problems.”

“We have a wonderful hospital and excellent administration. Things are changing in health care,” he said, citing some issues he has recently dealt with as a board member.

Hopkins cited that these include cuts in Medicare and Medicaid and keeping PPGH on the edge of technology.

“We have to figure out how to get money to buy new equipment,” he said, adding that the hospital is constantly trying to find new doctors – surgeons and hospitalists, as well as family physicians for the town.

Another prevalent issue Hopkins said, “Are guidelines that have to be met for patient care – taking blood pressure immediately and other checks that must be done quickly and correctly. If they aren’t done, insurance providers may cut benefits to the hospital.” He said this is all part the new federal implementation of “paying-for-performance” – a requirement for physicians and the hospital.

“We have people dedicated to checking and double checking all the paperwork for correctness,” he said.

Finally, Hopkins mentioned the importance of staying abreast of technology. He said the PPGH board recently approved the purchase of a new “state-of-the-art” magnetic resonance-image machine.

He said the machine is faster and more accurate than the current MRI machine and upgradeable “down the road.” When asked, he said that, like a car, the hospital can trade in the existing MRI to the company or they may sell it to a smaller hospital.