Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center has Broad Impact on Southeast Missouri
3/31/2022
POPLAR BLUFF, MO – Over the course of a year, the impact of Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center (PBRMC) adds up as the skilled and compassionate hands of physicians, nurses and other team members deliver safe, quality care around the clock every day. Beyond clinical care, PBRMC is a major employer and regularly invests resources to expand and enhance the services available locally. The overall community benefit each year is significant and totaled more than $216 million in 2021.
Last year, the hospital and clinics delivered care to more than 262,800 patient visits as the pandemic heightened the need for medical care. The hospital has supported more than 1,200 COVID inpatients since March 2020 while sustaining all of its other medical services. To help protect the community from the COVID-19 virus, 1,400 vaccine doses were provided and more than 1,100 outpatients were treated with monoclonal antibodies, helping them avoid serious symptoms and hospitalization.
“We provided quality care for patients with COVID and also for other members of our community who had a broad range of medical needs,” said Rick Naegler, chief executive officer for Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. “Our community is truly fortunate to have this resilient and committed team of clinicians and caregivers here in Poplar Bluff who make a difference for so many patients each day. We helped people get well and live healthier, and that was evident in so many ways - patients left with less pain following a joint replacement, a heart beating in rhythm after receiving a pacemaker or a smile of relief when their screening mammogram or colonoscopy was clear.”
Employees and medical staff brought their skills and compassion to support more than 42,500 emergency department visits, more than 10,400 inpatients and perform more than 7,600 surgeries. More 201,000 patients received care across the Regional Physician Services clinics, such as primary care and specialist clinics. We also delivered joy to local families as more than 1,300 babies were born.
PBRMC continues to grow and evolve as resources are directed toward increased medical services, facilities and technologies that are important to patients. These include a new fleet of ventilators, ultrasound machines, and glide scopes. Access has been enhanced with recruitment of primary care providers and additional services brought to the community include urology, pain management, and spine surgery. Adding these specialties allows for the community to receive a higher level of care close to home.
As PBRMC works to continuously meet patients’ needs, it also gives back to the broader Butler County region. PBRMC provided $88.6 million in charity and uncompensated care for the community’s most vulnerable. And the $13.5 million paid in property, sales and GRT taxes helps support civic resources and services.
PBRMC also works with local charitable and community organizations such as United Cancer Assistance Network, Chamber of Commerce, Boys & Girls Club of the Heartland, providing more than $30,000 in donations and outreach.
The hospital’s payroll of more than $94.6 million ripples across the local economy as employees buy goods and services. The hospital also made capital improvements totaling more than $5.8 million in updating and adding state- of- the-art equipment to improve quality and safety for our bedside clinicians and ease and enhance the workflow for our caregivers.
Naegler continued, “We are part of this community and we are committed to doing all we can to provide excellent healthcare services and to making Southeast Missouri a healthier, better community for all.”
Employment dynamics are shifting rapidly in many industries, and healthcare is no exception. To address the shortage of clinicians, PBRMC, through our affiliation with the Arkansas College of Medicine (ARCOM), started the region’s first graduate medical education program. The internal medicine residency program, offers specialized training that will attract new physicians to our community, expand care as well as provide an academic setting at PBRMC, beginning with the first six residents.
To help the community live healthier, PBRMC last year launched a free e-newsletter with a monthly dose of health and wellness inspiration sent directly to your inbox. Visit https://www.pbrmc.com/enewsletter-sign-up to sign up today.
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