Connally Memorial Medical Center would like to recognize Kari Schulz, RN BSN for receiving her Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) certification. Kari has been an employee of CMMC for a year and in October accepted the position of Emergency Department Manager/Trauma Department Manager. “Kari has been our catalyst for the improvements we have made and will continue to make in our Emergency Department”, states Jerome Brooks, CEO. “This certification is a testament to her commitment to provide quality care.  We are blessed to have her on our team.”

The CEN is a 175 question computer-administered examination that demonstrates expertise in emergency nursing.  It is endorsed by the Emergency Nurses’ Association (ENA) and is a desired requirement for State Trauma Designation. Professional nursing certification by specialty is becoming an important component in the nursing career field. The certification is valid for four years. CMMC now has 5 nurses in the Emergency Department that hold this certification.

Connally Memorial Medical Center is a progressive system of personalized healthcare services committed to being the provider of choice by delivering superior, appropriate care to improve quality of life. CMMC is fully accredited by the Texas Department of Health and offers emergency care, surgical services, home health services, wound and hyperbaric oxygen care, and rehabilitation services.  For more information visit www.connallymmc.org or call Katie Etringer at 830-393-1311.

On Friday, February 17, Dr Devraj Nayak, Cardiologist staffed with Connally Memorial Medical Center, was the guest speaker for a Lunch and Learn seminar on Heart Health. Dr. Nayak’s presentation was in observance of February being known as American Heart Month. The presentation included an abundance of information concerning conditions, symptoms, risks and tips for prevention of heart disease.

Attached is a copy of the presentation that Dr. Nayak shared with the attendees. For more information please call Connally Memorial Medical Center at 830-393-1311.

Several employees of Connally Memorial Medical Center
observe National Wear Red Day on February 3, 2012

Healthcare Services Group (HCSG) based out of Pennsylvania has been providing dietary services for Connally Memorial Medical Center since August 2011. The recently implemented new menus for the patients along with upscale room service for each meal, allow the patient the freedom to order what they want, when they want it. Entrees are cooked fresh and delivered quickly to the patients, shortly after they order. “Room service allows the patients a choice in an environment where they have very few choices. As well as Connally Memorial Medical Center, Healthcare Services is striving to give excellent customer service,” says Grant LaFleur, Director of Food & Nutrition. Patients are offered and served meal choices by a personal select host or hostess in an effort to make every patient’s dietary experience here at Connally Memorial Medical Center a special one.

Along with new services for patients, what was formerly Hilltop Diner has become Classic Café. The newly renovated Classic Café offers entrée selections, salad bar, grab & go sandwiches and salads as well as sandwiches, desserts and free coffee through the day. Classic Café is available not only to patients, their families and visitors but also to the general public for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many local physicians also frequent the café, such as emergency department physician Dr. Rex Poole. “As an ER Doctor I spend a lot of time at the hospital, and that means I eat a lot of hospital food. As well, I have worked at many facilities in the past and have sampled many different kitchens.” Poole goes on to say, “The food service at CMMC is particularly good, and the staff members are top notch. They take very good care of my patients. I would recommend the cafeteria at CMMC to those with special nutrition needs or anybody looking for something good to eat.”

Connally Memorial Medical Center is a progressive system of personalized healthcare services committed to being the provider of choice by delivering superior, appropriate care to improve quality of life. CMMC is fully accredited by the Texas Department of Health and offers emergency care, surgical services, home health services, wound and hyperbaric oxygen care, and rehabilitation services. For more information visit www.connallymmc.org or call Katie Etringer at 830-393-1311.

(Floresville, Texas October 31, 2011) Breast Cancer is one of the most common cancers that plague women today. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 192,370 cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in the United States this year.

Connally Memorial Medical Center showed their support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month this year by providing a week of discounted mammograms to uninsured women of Wilson County, sponsoring a “Lunch and Learn” informative seminar on breast cancer given by CMMC General Surgeon, Dr. Robert Duran and by having “PINK Fridays” during the month of October.

“Breast cancer is treatable if caught in the early stages,” states CMMC’s Chief Nursing Officer Celeste Brizzee, “through self examinations, screening mammograms and general awareness, there are a higher number of breast cancer survivors than in years past. In our effort to increase awareness, CMMC provides screening/diagnostic mammograms, surgical services and educational seminars. On a personal note, the ‘PINK Fridays’ were about the employees being able to show their support for those battling this disease, the survivors that have conquered this disease and those that have lost a loved one to this disease.”

Connally Memorial Medical Center is a progressive system of personalized healthcare services committed to being the provider of choice by delivering superior, appropriate care and improving the quality of life. CMMC is fully accredited by the Texas Department of Health and offers emergency care, surgical services, home health coordination, imaging services, wound and hyberbaric oxygen care, and rehabilitation services. For more information visit www.connallymmc.org.

The Wilson County Hospital District Board of Directors unanimously approved the FY2012 Capital Budget at the Wednesday, September 14 meeting.

            The Capital Budget is comprised of items that range in cost from $5,000 to $350,000. This budget is created to financially plan for future purchases of much-needed equipment to improve both customer service and the quality of healthcare that CMMC provides to the community.

            At the top of the list is a 16 slice CT Scanner, which produces a higher quality image to enhance the diagnostic capabilities for local physicians,, and will also minimize  the patient’s total exam time. This scanner is one of the most important tools to diagnose head and spine injuries, lung and liver disease, cancer, tumors, blood clots, internal bleeding and other diseases.

            Also included in the budget are items to address the hospitals expanded orthopedic services. Equipment for the surgical services such as an additional C-Arm x-ray machine, and a Spider hydraulic shoulder suspension system will be purchased. This suspension system can be used to better position the patient for arthroscopy, rotator cuff repairs and total shoulder repairs.

           This project is another example of the commitment our Board of Directors have made to patients in Wilson County,” said Jerome Brooks, CEO.  “I commend them for taking this step to achieving our mission of being the provider of choice for our region.

Connally Memorial Medical Center is proud to announce that J. Mansel Harris, M.D.  a Board Certified Urologist, is seeing new  patients at the CMMC Multi-Specialty Clinic and will also be utilizing CMMC’s Surgical Department.  

            Dr. Harris comes to CMMC with over 20 years of experience in urology.  He received his Doctor of Medicine from University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and completed his urology fellowship with the American Foundation for Urological Disease.  Dr. Harris and his group of four Urologists practice in Comal County and San Antonio.  He has recently expanded his services to CMMC to accommodate patients in Wilson County. 

            “Dr. Harris brings a great deal of urology experience to Wilson County,” states Jerome Brooks, CEO of Connally Memorial. “We are fortunate he is choosing Wilson County to expand his practice and he will be a welcome addition to the medical community.

            Dr. Harris will be seeing patients at the CMMC Multi-specialty clinic located at 497 10^th Street Suite 102 in Floresville – next to Connally Memorial Medical Center. Anyone who would like to make an appointment to see Dr. Harris may call 830-625-8088 or for more information please call 830-393-1750.

Julie G. Rowell, the Director of Financial Services at Connally Memorial Medical Center has recently received her Certified Public Accountant license. 

“We are fortunate to have a CPA in our financial services,” says Karl Hittle, Interim CEO for CMMC. “Julie has worked with us for 10 years and has a wealth of healthcare financial knowledge.  She possesses the outstanding credential of Certified Public Accountant now, which further contributes to the knowledge of our financial team.”

Julie previously served as Accounting Manager from December 2001 until April 2004 and now serves as Controller.  She received her Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio in May 1996.

In an ongoing effort to accommodate growth and the ever-changing medical needs of Wilson County, Connally Memorial Medical Center (CMMC) is pleased to announce that Victoria Emergency Associates is providing physician coverage for both the Emergency Department and the Inpatient Medical/Surgical Unit of CMMC as of August 1st.

Victoria Emergency Associates was founded by Dr. Jim Brand in 2002. Dr. Brand began practicing Emergency Medicine in 1976 and received board certification in Emergency Medicine in 1993. After graduating from Duke University he completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He has been Medical Director of the Emergency Department at DeTar Navarro Hospital since 1991 and has served as Chief of Staff of DeTar Healthcare System in Victoria Texas for the past year. Dr. Brand’s primary area of interest in emergency medicine is implementing the most cost effective solutions to provide high quality, patient oriented emergency medical care.

Dr. Brand will be serving as the Medical Director of the Emergency Department (ED) at CMMC and his group has been providing physician coverage since August 1, 2011 for the hospital’s ED. Emergency Department physician coverage is just as it implies, physicians specially trained in Emergency Medicine contracted to provide and oversee the care of patients that arrive at CMMC with in an emergency medical condition.

Dr. Brand will also coordinate the Hospitalist program.  A “hospitalist” program allows physicians specifically trained in the care of hospital inpatients to treat patients who are admitted to the hospital for care.  Many physicians treat patients in their offices and choose to refer, or admit, their patients to an inpatient specialist known as a Hospitalist.  These physicians work full time in the hospital and are available to admit and oversee the care of patients from the Emergency Department and from physicians’ offices. 

CMMC has worked closely with Dr. Brand and the physicians in his group to establish a strong working relationship between the physicians, nurses and team members in order to provide the best patient care possible.

Connally Memorial Medical Center is a progressive system of personalized healthcare services committed to being the provider of choice by delivering superior, appropriate care to improve quality of life. CMMC is fully accredited by the Texas Department of Health and offers emergency care, surgical services, home health services, wound and hyperbaric oxygen care, and rehabilitation services.  For more information visit http://www.connallymmc.org or call Katie Etringer at 830-393-1311.

(Floresville, Texas  August 19, 2011)  In a continuous effort to provide expanded medical services to patients here in Wilson County, Connally Memorial Medical Center would like to announce that Cardiologist, Dr. Devraj Nayak, will be offering extended cardiac coverage and services to Connally Memorial Medical Center. http://www.connallymmc.org/.

Dr. Nayak, who has been named the Medical Director of Cardiac Services at CMMC, will be available for consultations for the Emergency Department and the Medical-Surgical Units on a daily basis and will be conducting Nuclear Medicine and Standard Stress Testing on a scheduled basis for CMMC.

“We continue to evaluate all services that can be provided at Connally Memorial Medical Center to minimize the need for patients in Wilson County to travel to San Antonio for these same services,” said Karl Hittle, Interim CEO. ”Through expanded cardiac services we are keeping your healthcare close to home”.

Connally Memorial Medical Center is a progressive system of personalized healthcare services committed to being the provider of choice by delivering superior, appropriate care and improving the quality of life.  CMMC is fully accredited by the Texas Department of Health and offers emergency care, surgical services, home health services, imaging services, wound and hyperbaric oxygen care, and rehabilitation services.  For more information visit

Connally Memorial Medical Center proudly announces bone density testing on a full time basis due to the recent purchase of a bone densitometer. CMMC has provided bone density testing on a part time basis for several years through a contracted service provider.

The medical center has installed a GE Prodigy Pro Bone Densitometer (DEXA) and offers testing Monday through Friday from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm. “DEXA is a vital tool in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. When left untreated, osteoporosis can lead to spine and hip fractures and become a debilitating disease for those affected, ” states Dr. David A. Golden, Chair of Radiology Services at CMMC. “The implementation of this, now full-time service offered by CMMC, will further improve both men and women’s health in the Floresville area.”

A bone density test is a diagnostic test used to detect osteoporosis or if a patient is at risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become more fragile and more likely to break.

A physician may order a bone density scan to:

• Identify decreases in bone density;
• Determine the risk of broken bones (fractures) ;
• Confirm a diagnosis of osteoporosis; and
• Monitor osteoporosis treatment.

A bone density test uses an X-ray to measure how many grams of calcium and other bone minerals are packed into a segment of bone. A bone density test is noninvasive and a fairly accurate predictor of your risk of fracture.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends bone density testing if:

• You are a woman age 65 or older;
• You are a postmenopausal woman under age 65 with one or more risk factors for osteoporosis;
• You are a man age 70 or older;
• You are a man between age 50 and 70 with one or more risk factors for osteoporosis;
• You are older than age 50 and you’ve experienced a broken bone; or
• You are a postmenopausal woman and you’ve stopped taking estrogen therapy or hormone therapy

Connally Memorial Medical Center is a progressive system of personalized healthcare services committed to being the provider of choice by delivering superior, appropriate care to improve quality of life. CMMC is fully accredited by the Texas Department of Health and offers emergency care, surgical services, home health services, wound and hyperbaric oxygen care, and rehabilitation services. For more information visit http://www.connallymmc.org or call Katie Etringer at 830-393-1311.