Hospital District shares new policies and regular updates

ANAHUAC— The Chambers County Hospital District No. 1 held a regular meeting on Thursday, Feb. 27, discussing regular business, new policies and updates on the network of healthcare facilities.

Elissa Lofgren, executive director for Chambers Health clinics, discussed two new executive orders, noting there is not much guidance on these orders yet.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement officials are allowed to enter the clinics but are not allowed past the lobby without warrants. Lofgren added that the clinics are waiting on further instruction to determine if they must collect information on immigration statuses and if it will affect federal funding.

“We’re not in violation of any of our grants,” Lofgren said. “We're just in a kind of waiting period, pretty uncomfortable waiting period, while we figure out what our next steps are.”

Also, the clinic is no longer required to collect forms regarding sexual orientation, and Lofgren said the clinics have stopped collecting that information.

When discussing staffing, it was noted that West Chambers Medical Center has a high turnover rate regarding registration clerks, likely due to competitive pay at Hoston Methodist Primary Care Group in Baytown, according to Lofgren.

To mitigate this issue, in the future, Lofgren is going to see if the position can be held by fewer people so they can increase the salary rate.

The Bayside Community Hospital received a grant of $1.192 million. This grant is specifically for broadband internet services and telemedicine. The deadline for this grant is Jan. 31, 2026.

Lofgren provided an update on the school-based clinics in Anahuac and Dayton. In Anahuac, the clinic focuses on the Anahuac Elementary School, and in Dayton, the clinic provides for Dayton High School and Woodrow Wilson Junior High School.

Dayton saw an increase from nine visits in January to 31 in the first week of February. Anahuac averages from 10 to 15 visits a month. Lofgren noted Anahuac prefers to have staff at the site rather than using telehealth.

Ann Newton, CEO of Chambers Health, said a real estate company focusing on restaurants, retail and entertainment companies is interested in purchasing land near the West Chambers Medical Center. The company seeks to purchase .932 acres for $735,000 for a fast-food restaurant, but the item was tabled until the board receives more information.