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Project Name: Poison Control Stabilization and Enhancement Program (H4B)
Applicant Title: EL PASO COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT
Abstract Text: DESCRIPTION: The West Texas Poison Center at University Medical Center of El Paso (WTPC) is one of six regional poison centers in the Texas Poison Center Network. It has been continuously accredited by America’s Poison Centers as a regional poison center since 1997. The WTPC is applying for this grant opportunity to support its efforts in preventing poisonings and providing treatment recommendations for poisonings while complying with the operational requirements needed to sustain the center’s accreditation. The WTPC’s most pressing financial need is to stabilize and support its valuable bilingual associates’ salaries and benefits to maintain consistency with its own host institution’s salary and benefit structure in order to remain competitive with the local and regional healthcare markets. The WTPC continues to pursue other revenue opportunities with other agencies, universities, research entities, and public and private industry to generate creative revenue streams and meet its financial and operational needs. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: The goal of this project is to maintain the WTPC’s 24-hour bilingual operation in compliance with poison center accreditation requirements. The objectives to reach this goal are to 1) maintain the WTPC’s bilingual staff at the currently funded FTEs in order to continue to provide high quality treatment recommendations and an effective outreach and education program, and 2) maintain the WTPC’s salaries and benefits in line with its host institution’s employee salary and benefit structure to remain competitive with other health-care employers in the region. Reaching these objectives will result in decreased staff turnover and reduce staff training and development costs; enhance patient care and customer service; maintain the WTPC’s 24-hour operation; and maintain regional poison center certification. METHODOLOGY: The WTPC Director will be responsible to assure that staff salaries and benefits are consistent with the host institution’s existing employee salary structure. The proposed work plan has clear and measurable objectives that will be continually evaluated through UMC’s Human Resources and Fiscal Services data collection and reporting streams. COORDINATION: The WTPC Director will work closely with UMC’s Grants Management Lead Accountant to ensure that all funding streams are coordinated and appropriately allocated. In addition, Texas’ Commission on State Emergency Communications which provides the bulk of funding for the WTPC is included in the coordinated reporting effort through its required approval of the WTPC’s annual strategic plans, i.e., budget, monthly reimbursements, and quarterly financial status reports. EVALUATION: The project’s evaluation is a critical component that includes monitoring a range of outcome measures from multiple data sources including UMC’s Human Resources and Fiscal Services along with the WTPC’s Quality Management program to optimize the WTPC’s performance and cost-effectiveness.