The county is issuing certificates of Obligations in order to build and equip 3 new Outpatient medical
clinics. According to Mr Jim Valenti, these are required to care for patients around patients around
ElPaso to reduce overuse of the Emergency services of UMC.
It seems to me that the Emergency services are overcrowded because the Outpatient clinic at UMC
are not available for routine care. It currently takes months to be seen and Specialty Clinics are few
and not readily available. There is not walk in services night and day to reduce the ER Burden. An
evening Ped. Clinic?
Why reduplicate services when one fully staffed and available is sufficient. How are the new clinics
going to be staffed when they can’t staff the current operation. There is certainly enough space on the
current campus to build new clinics. Like other cities, storefront operations can be located in distant
locations without reduplication of all facilities. These can be staffed with NP and PA’s with Medical s
supervision. I’m quite sure we can arrange to have strategic busing around town with regular service to
bring indigent patients to the main campus when necessary. Why can’t we have night clinics?
There are solutions to this problem other than burdening the overtaxed El Paso Citizens with more
debt.
Let’s talk more and tax less.