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Southwest Health Systems asks Montezuma County for letters of support for ambulances and nurse‑call upgrade
Summary
Southwest Health Systems representatives requested two letters of support for congressional directed spending—priority one for new ambulances and priority two for an integrated nurse‑call (internal '911') system—citing patient‑safety concerns and aging equipment in the ER.
Representatives of Southwest Health Systems requested Montezuma County sign letters of support for congressional directed spending: priority one for new ambulances and priority two for an integrated nurse‑call system.
"For those I don't know, Steven, my name is Lisa. I'm part of the executive team and serve as a chief nursing officer at the hospital," said Lisa, describing the nurse‑call system as an "internal 911" that routes urgent clinical alerts across departments and noted that some systems in the hospital are at end of life. "In the ER, it's 25 plus years," she said when asked how old current equipment is, and she explained that biomedical staff are currently cannibalizing parts from an outpatient system to keep critical modules running.
Bridgette said the organization is submitting ambulance and nurse‑call requests to multiple congressional offices and would like to collect a handful of letters of support; her team suggested a DocuSign workflow so offices could submit a single signed letter. Lisa also described a summer internship program that brings high school students from surrounding communities into hospital departments to learn skills and observe clinical roles.
Commissioners asked technical and longevity questions and thanked the presenters. The Board did not vote; Chair said the county would consider signing the letter and make a decision the next day.
