East Houston Hospital subject of Rotary talk

SPEAKING AT LAST WEEK’S Highlands Rotary Luncheon were Jeff Holland

HIGHLANDS — Recovering from flood damage after Hurricane Ike, the East Houston Regional Medical Center on I-10 in Northshore has returned to almost full operation, according to CEO Jeff Holland, and is better than ever in terms of medical services and physical plant.

Holland was speaking at the weekly luncheon of the Highlands Rotary club, and explained that EHRMC has now combined with Bayshore Hospital in Pasadena, to offer more services and more specialty doctors.

East Houston is still a complete, free-standing hospital, with 131 beds, outpatient and inpatient diagnostic and surgical procedures, and a Level IV Trauma Center, the only one in East Harris County.

However, because of the merger with Bayshore Hospital, it can now offer more unique services.

Bayshore is larger, with 373 beds. Combined they have 700 doctors available. Both hospitals are a part of HCA, Hospital Corporation of America, with a total of 10 hospitals in Houston, and hundreds nationwide.

Holland said that HCA was able to reopen East Houston expeditously, because they have hospitals in Florida and are used to recovery from hurricanes. Improvements at EHRMC include digital X-Rays, a new MRI machine, a new Cardiac Catheter lab, and a new Nuclear Medicine Camera.

Building improvements include a new roof, new lift stations for sewers, and with the city of Houston, new emergency power for these pump stations.