El Paso County Hospital District highlights new tech, lower nurse turnover and bond-funded clinic plans in quarterly report
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Summary
Hospital District CEO Jacob Centron told commissioners the district secured advanced bronchoscopy tech, earned spine-surgery rankings and reduced RN turnover to about 12–13%; board discussed bond-funded clinic designs and risks tied to federal premium tax credit expirations.
Jacob Centron, president and chief executive officer of the El Paso County Hospital District, delivered a comprehensive quarterly update to the El Paso County Commissioners Court on Feb. 9, outlining recent clinical advances, community outreach and the status of bond-funded facility projects.
Centron said the district invested in new diagnostic and interventional tools — including an ion-robot bronchoscopy platform — intended to detect and biopsy small lung lesions earlier and start care sooner. He also noted regional recognitions: the neuroscience team was named among Healthgrades’ America’s 100 Best Hospitals for spine surgery for a second consecutive year and UMC ranks among the top five hospitals in Texas for spine surgery.
The presentation highlighted public-facing outreach: targeted campaigns around breast cancer awareness and menopause, media interviews with regional physicians, and a mammogram initiative that allowed women 40 and older to schedule screening appointments directly during a designated window. Two breast-cancer patients gave in-person testimonials to encourage timely screening.
Centron emphasized workforce gains: UMC’s newly accredited nurse residency program has helped reduce RN turnover to roughly 12–13%, compared with national figures in the mid-20s. The district credited that accreditation, led by Chief Nursing Officer Amy Dehar, with improving retention and lowering training costs.
On capital projects, Centron reviewed bond-funded work across multiple clinics and hospital facilities. He said off-campus projects — including an East Clinic rehab at the Joe Battle facility — are moving through city permitting, and construction procurement is expected soon. On campus, the A4 Thomason Tower renovation is entering permitting with construction anticipated in March 2026 to create a 25-bed observation unit to ease ER congestion. The district is also planning surgical services expansions, a cath-lab upgrade and a parking garage. Centron said the district is coordinating with Texas Tech on a $30 million cancer center allocation, likely to fund imaging and therapy equipment such as linear accelerators and PET/CT scanners.
Commissioners pressed district leaders on two budgetary and policy risks. Centron warned that an expiration or non-extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits could push more residents to use hospital services; staff said the district is preparing clinics and telehealth access to mitigate such demand but cautioned it would likely increase uncompensated care. The court discussed options to advocate for congressional action.
The presentation closed with a discussion of payer mix and volumes. Michael Nunez, the district’s CFO, presented fiscal comparisons for October–December 2025 vs. the prior year and said funded payer mix across hospitals was about 76% insured, with 24% charity and self-pay. He reported combined inpatient average daily census, surgical-case trends and a spike in ER visits during the 2025 flu season. Commissioners accepted the quarterly report by motion.
