HERMANN — Mercy Hospital Washington could further develop its partnership with Hermann Area District Hospital (HADH) by managing the local hospital’s Emergency Room.

The details of just such a proposal are being fine tuned, said Mercy Washington President Eric Eoloff during Monday night’s regular monthly session of the HADH Board of Directors. Speaking via ZOOM, Eoloff said Mercy staffers are considering the ability to incorporate the ER management into an already crowded work environment.

“Mercy has been really busy,” Eoloff said. “We’re busting at the seams in every patient category,” he added, noting that other hospitals in the Mercy regional network have been referring patients from their areas to Mercy Washington because of heavy patient loads.

The local ER is staffed now by personnel affiliated with the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

“I think we can do a good job for you, I really do,” Eoloff told the HADH board.

Meanwhile, Administrator Bill Hellebusch told the board that the hospital is continuing to deal with some agency staffing costs simply because of the local labor shortage among nurses.

“Overnights are still super thin,” he said, especially during the past month that saw increased patient admissions at HADH.

Hellebusch noted that a couple new nurses have been added to the local HADH employee roster, easing the expense somewhat of having agency nurses tending patients. But, as he noted, more local hiring is needed.

“The team and I have been shaking the bushes,” he said.

“We had a really good month,” Hellebusch said, regarding activity at the hospital in September. During the month, the hospital received 19 swing-bed referrals, the most of any month this year, he added. Mercy Washington referred 10 of those, the administrator said.

Swing-bed patients are those who might not need further medical treatment, but might not be ready to return home. Swing-bed patients often receive physical therapy or occupational therapy treatment for a few days before returning home. Hellebusch said the hospital is receiving swing-bed patients from a new source.

“We have seen more and more swing-bed referrals out of Boone (County Hospital),” he said.

Admissions totaled 49 for September including 11 for acute care, 19 for skilled care and rehab services and 19 for observation, the administrator said. The outpatient numbers remained steady, he said.

“We’re pretty flat” regarding outpatient cases, he noted.

The newest member of the medical staff, Dr. Eric Penton, had a busy month, seeing 130 patients, Hellebusch reported. Penton, from the Columbia area, joined the HADH staff in the past couple months.