MIDLAND, TX (KWES) - With the help of the Midland Development Corporation, Midland Memorial Hospital has been able to bring more physicians to Midland over the past two years.
The MDC and the hospital are currently in a five year agreement where the MDC reimburses the hospital for its expenses associated with physician recruitment in an amount up to $450,000 in 2017.
The financial support from MDC is helping the hospital in a big way.
"We absolutely need the help. Financially, healthcare is tough for everybody across the board. And if the collaboration between two intergovernmental agencies improves the access and care for the community, it brings a lot of value to us a whole," said Cory Edmondson, SR. Vice-president of strategic development at Midland Memorial.
The MDC wanted the hospital to focus on recruiting physicians who have ties to the Midland area. This new strategy has helped bring the retention rate from 50 to 100 percent.
"One, it helps with retention because they know what West Texas is like, they have roots here already. Plus, it's just recruiting homegrown people and getting people to the families," said Edmondson.
This partnership benefits the community in more ways than one.
"The intent was to help us recruit physicians needed for the community to improve the help overall and on top of that, when we recruit physicians, the national statistics show that not only when you recruit them does it add value to the community but they also bring taxable value, they hire employees, they set up show, they rent buildings, they do all these things for the community so there's a tax base that goes along with it as well," Edmondson said.
The hospital has also been able to bring more specialty need physicians to the area such as, neurology, dermatology, otolaryngology, and cardiology to Midland.
"Sub specialties are important to this community so that don't have to leave the community to get that care. They can stay right here and get all of that. We've been very successful in doing that," said Edmondson.
