“It is not only a place of employment, but it becomes a second family,” said Candis Rodriguez, a 5-year honoree.

The luncheon was in honor of those who have worked for Castro County Healthcare for 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years. Each honoree was given a pin that reflected their years of service by the CEO, Linda Rasor. The four employees who have been with CCHD for 25 years were also given a Kenneth Wyatt framed cross.

“We have all been here so long we feel like a family,” said Elidia Dozal, a 20-year honoree. “We are so blessed to have the employees we have, and everyone does a great job!”

This year we recognized a total of 29 employees with a combined total of 335 years of service to the district.

“As you can see, 335 years of combined service to the district notes the level of dedication and commitment of the staff,” said Rasor. “They are loyal and caring and I appreciate their service to our patients and community.”

The honorees include,

For 25 years: Peggy Ehly, Lorraine Mendoza, Linda Rasor, and Manuel Saenz.

For 20 years: Dana Cobb, Elidia Dozal, and Carole Hopson.

For 15 years: Cynthia Betz, Celina Brockman, Judy Herriage, and Gloria Puente.

For 10 years: Mary Claire Ayson, Michelle Calderon, Juana Carrasco, Mary Crow, and Elisha Graham.

For 5 years: Keith Clayton, Deidre Enriquez, Stephanie Esquivel, Veronica Gonzalez, Peggy Birkenfeld, Dena Bye, Amy Martinez, Jessica Moore, Michael Panturad, Lisa Pena, Michelle Jackson, Candis Rodriguez, and Johnny Sanchez.

Herrera has been working for CCHD for two years and seven months as the Administrative Assistant to the CEO, Linda Rasor. Her role includes not only to administer help to the CEO, but anyone else who needs it.

“My favorite thing about working for CCHD is the people,” said Herrera. “I am inspired daily by their dedication to the care and needs of our community.”

She also states how honored she feels to be chosen for employee of the month because she sees all the hard work everyone puts in at CCHD, and knows there are many deserving candidates. CCHD is grateful to have Herrera a part of their team. Congratulations to Olivia Herrera!

Castro County Healthcare, along with their Board of Directors and public figures of Castro County represented the start of the Senior Living Project by lifting their golden shovels with dirt for the numerous Castro County community members in attendance. Henry Ramaekers, Chairman of the Board of Directors, shared a few words about the facility and what the facility will mean for Castro County.

“We feel that we are going to have a state of the art facility, and that it fits our mission statement of providing high quality, ethical, and cost-effective medical services for our county,” said Ramaekers. “We feel that we will be fulfilling a need for the elderly of our county, and we are proud of that.”

Refreshments followed the groundbreaking, at First United Bank’s Community Room. There, guests viewed rendering images of the facilities from Korte. This included the living and sitting quarters, dining areas, a floor plan, and the facilities exterior.

In 2016, CCHD recognized the increasing need for a locally accountable Senior Living Facility. This prompted them to embark on a community-wide study to assess the need for the construction of a new Senior Living Facility in Dimmitt that would allow for a seamless continuum of personalized care that our patients are accustomed to.

The Senior Living Project will have a positive economic impact by providing additional employment opportunities, by an estimated 40 full time positions.   It will provide senior residents to remain in their home town near family and friends, while receiving the highest standard care. It will provide the community with community-wide programs and lunch to create regular interaction and involvement for the residents.

The new long-term care and assisted living facility will have numerous enriching activities for the residents. Among these are Physical Therapy, Art Classes, Day Trips, Book club, and many more. It will have six assisted living rooms for independent living and 54 long term care rooms.  In the long-term facility, there will be 14 semi private rooms and 24 private rooms. There will be a designated chapel along with a community room, dining room and separate activity room.  Included will be a rehab area and a wellness center for residents to utilize.

The Senior Living Project will be primarily funded through service and fee revenue. It will be a self-supporting entity and will maintain reserves for capital needs, and future operations and maintenance of all its services and properties. The cost of this project is budgeted at $10.8 million with a completion date of December 2018.

Bryan comes to CCHD from Waurika, Okla. There she had a similar position working in a clinic and seeing ER, hospital, and nursing home patients.  Originally born and raised in Los Angeles, Calif., Bryan has also lived in New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

“I love working here and the people in Dimmitt are great,” said Bryan

Bryan began her work life as a travel agent, which she did for 15 years and got to travel the world extensively. Then she finished her undergraduate studies in 1990 at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, NM with a Business Degree in Human Resources. She then returned to UNM to begin her medical studies with pre-med classes.

She graduated medical school from Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (TCOM) in Fort Worth, Texas. Then she finished her internship and Family Medicine Residency at Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth.

Bryan has been very involved with extracurricular activities throughout her life, starting at age 15 as a Sunday School teacher in a Catholic Church.  While in medical school in Albuquerque, NM she volunteered at hospital emergency rooms. She has also been a volunteer at a clinic for a homeless shelter, helped raise money for medical students, and was a volunteer coordinator for her class. Since 1995 she has facilitated delivery of medical supplies and textbooks to developing countries.

In addition to her practice and volunteer work, Bryan and her husband, Tom, a retired nurse, enjoy donating to different charities and to community groups they feel show a need. In Waurika, Okla. they were voted Citizens of the Year in 2015 for such assistance. They already have donated supplies in Dimmitt to schools, police, sheriff’s department, the hospital, and ambulance service in the area. The Bryans bought a home in Dimmitt and live there with their three cats.

Bryan is excited to be working at CCHD and getting involved with the community. She is accepting new patients, so if you would like to schedule an appointment, please contact the Medical Center of Dimmitt at 806-647-2194.

“I am so happy to be home serving Castro County and the surrounding areas,” said Higgins.

Higgins was born and raised her entire childhood, just 16 miles west on Highway 86. She said she has always been intrigued with how the human body works, even as a child, which led to her want to pursue a career practicing medicine.

Attending school at West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) in Canyon, Texas, Higgins graduated in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Returning to Dimmitt she worked for over 10 years as a Register Nurse (RN) at CCHD. In 2012, she returned to WTAMU for her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner.

During her free time Higgins loves sewing, refinishing furniture and spending time with her family. This includes her husband of 11 years, Daniel Higgins, who has farmed in Castro County the last 30 years.

To schedule an appointment please contact the Medical Center of Dimmitt at 806-647-2194. Higgins enjoys treating babies through elderly.

Here at Castro County Hospital, we are committed to providing you with the absolute best quality healthcare experience possible! In keeping with that commitment, we are in the process of re-creating our website.

This process takes time as we want to ensure we are providing you with the best online experience possible.

We will be launching our new, fresh website in March and will continue to post more updates as the new year draws closer.

Thank you for allowing us to serve you!

#OnlineExperience