BY Sherry Koonce
The Port Arthur News
BEAUMONT
November 17, 2008 08:07 pm
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By Sherry Koonce
The News staff writer
BEAUMONT — Jefferson County Commissioners on Monday rescinded a burn ban that had been in effect since Oct. 27, and approved a resolution to urge state legislators to take steps to help the University of Texas Medical Branch to reopen its Galveston facilities.
Fred Jackson, assistant to County Judge Ron Walker, said all of the rural fire chiefs had been contacted, and each felt it was now safe to call off the burn ban.
About 3 inches of rain fell in Jefferson County last week during rainstorms.
At the time it was instituted, Jefferson County was one of 46 counties instituting burn bans in rural areas. According to the Texas Forest Service’s Web site, 48 counties are operating under a burn ban as of Monday. Among those counties are Chambers, Galveston, Hardin and Orange.
Also at Monday’s regular meeting, the County Commissioners appointed a five-person committee to review the Boon-Chapman health insurance plan utilized in Montgomery County for indigent medical care.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Bo Alfred said county officials had been introduced to the plan at a recent meeting.
“Basically, this would enable us to build a network of physicians to care for our medically indigent,” Alfred said.
Since Hurricane Ike made landfall around Galveston on Sept. 13, the University of Texas Medical Branch’ hospital has been forced to shut its doors, leaving medically indigent patients from Gulf Coast Counties without a place to seek hospital care.
County Commissioners on Monday approved a resolution urging state legislators to make UTMB’s damaged facilities a high priority during the upcoming 81st legislative session.
In recent weeks, there has been some talk of moving the facility to Austin. During Monday’s meeting Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Domingue said he was hopeful that would not happen.
“There seems to be some support on a state level to keep UTMB in Galveston,” Domingue said.
UTMB officials are planning to reopen the hospital in a limited capacity — up to 300 beds with 100 of those dedicated to the Texas prison system. The limited number of beds available will not be enough to take care of the medically indigent’s hospital needs.
Of the state’s 254 counties, 160 send some patients to UTMB. Sixty-eight of those counties, from Orange to Corpus Christi, have contracts with the hospital to treat their medically indigent, Alfred said.
skoonce@panews.com
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