Houston, MO— Communication by the nursing staff at Texas County Memorial Hospital is in the top ten among Missouri hospitals, board members learned at their monthly meeting on Tuesday. TCMH was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review, a national healthcare media organization.
In the September 5 issue, Becker’s Hospital Review compiled a list of hospitals in each state that received five-star ratings for nursing communication. TCMH ranked among Missouri’s top ten hospitals based on data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey.
The HCAHPS survey evaluates patient perspectives on their hospital experiences, including how clearly nurses explained things, how well they listened, and whether they treated patients with courtesy and respect. The data used for this recognition was collected between October 2023 and September 2024 and released on August 6, 2025.
“I am extremely proud of our nursing staff at TCMH for this significant achievement,” Courtney Owens, TCMH chief nursing officer, expressed. “This remarkable accomplishment truly reflects the care and compassion that our patients receive at our hospital.”
In other news, Bill Bridges, chief executive officer, shared details about his recent trip to Washington D.C., where he participated in the Missouri Hospital Association’s Rural Advocacy event.
During his visit, Bridges met with members of Missouri’s congressional delegation, including Senator Josh Hawley and Congressman Jason Smith. Discussions focused on the importance of protecting long-term health care funding and ensuring Missouri secures its share of federal resources.
“Under the Rural Health Transformation Program, there is $50 billion in competitive funding for states to apply for,” Bridges explained. “Missouri is expected to apply for approximately $200 million annually over the next five years. If Missouri receives these funds, our hospital intends to secure a portion of that funding.”
TCMH has concerns that federal funds will not cover uncompensated care costs for patients losing Medicaid coverage and the loss of potential grant funding for projects. There are many unknowns with the major changes to healthcare funding that are scheduled to take place in 2026 and in future years.
Bridges reminded board members that TCMH will host a legislative day on Tuesday, November 12. The event will welcome local, state, and federal legislators—as well as individuals considering a run for office—to visit the hospital and engage in discussions about rural health care needs.
“Our commitment is to ensure that the citizens of Texas County have access to quality health care,” Bridges said. “Engaging with our legislators underscores the importance we place on protecting long-term health care funding for our community.”
As part of the September meeting, Travis Witzemann, Houston Economic Development Director, presented a proposal to board members for a community planning process focused on early childhood education, in partnership with “Kids Win Missouri.”
Witzemann emphasized that childcare remains one Texas County’s most pressing needs and encouraged the hospital to consider joining the partnership during its planning phase. He noted that expanded childcare services could be especially valuable for hospital employees, given the hospital’s 24-hour operations. Board members agreed to seek input from a few employees to participate in the planning process.
Owens invited board members to the upcoming Daisy Ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, October 8. The ceremony will feature eleven nominees, with one honoree receiving the Daisy Award during the breakfast event. The Daisy Award recognizes extraordinary nurses for the compassionate care and clinical excellence they provide to patients and families.
Linda Pamperien, TCMH chief financial officer, presented the August financials, which reflected a decrease of $380,705 in overall revenues from budgeted monthly expectations.
“Our inpatient revenue decreased $456,177, a 33.3 percent decrease from our budgeted monthly expectations,” Pamperien said.
August inpatient admissions were at 67, which are down in comparison to the admissions from the same time frame in 2024. There have been 658 admissions year-to-date.
The financial report reflected that the hospital’s profit/loss report showed a negative bottom line for August, with a decrease of $278,106 and a year-to-date loss of $1,325,553. The earnings before interest, depreciation, and amortization (EBIDA) for the respective month were negative at $15,500 and the year-to-date EBIDA was positive at $782,408.
Present at the meeting were Owens; Bridges; Witzemann; Pamperien; Helania Wulff, public relations and marketing director; April Crites, quality and risk management; Kristina Grant, DO, vice chief of staff; and board members, Jim Perry, OD; Joleen Durham; Jennifer Hugenot; Jerri Crump; and Ross Richardson.
Due to a scheduling conflict, the next meeting of the TCMH board of trustees has been moved to Monday, October 27, at 12 p.m. in the hospital board room.
