Amarillo area business news and developments for July 21, 2024
U.S. News & World Report names NWTHS among 2024-2025 best hospitals in heart attack and heart failure
Northwest Texas Healthcare System (NWTHS) has been named by U.S. News & World Report as a 2024-2025 Best Hospital. Specifically, NWTHS ranked in Heart Attack and Heart Failure among U.S. News’ 2024-2025 edition of Best Hospitals.
“We are proud of our medical providers and staff who contributed to this great achievement. Our goal is to provide our community with high quality care and this recognition is a representation of the work we continue to do to keep our friends and families close to home,” shared Jason Barrett, CEO of the healthcare system.
U.S. News evaluated nearly 5,000 hospitals across 15 specialties and 20 procedures and conditions; only 11% of evaluated hospitals earned a Best Hospitals ranking. Hospitals awarded a “Best” designation excelled at factors such as clinical outcomes, level of nursing care and patient experience.
“For 35 years, U.S. News has been a leading resource for patients navigating their health care decisions,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis and managing editor at U.S. News. “A ‘Best Hospital’ recognition empowers patients to seek out medical care from the best of the best to treat their illness or condition.”
To calculate the Best Hospitals rankings, U.S. News evaluated each hospital’s performance on objective measures such as risk-adjusted mortality rates, preventable complications and level of nursing care. The Best Hospitals Specialty rankings methodology and Procedures & Conditions ratings methodology measure patient outcomes using data from millions of records provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This year, among other methodology refinements, U.S. News incorporated new data on care provided to patients with Medicare Advantage insurance and on care provided to outpatients, nearly doubling the number of patients included in its annual data analysis. The Procedures & Conditions ratings are based entirely on objective quality measures.
For more information, visit Best Hospitals and use #BestHospitals on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter).
Bell Textron Inc. continues tradition of supporting camps for kids at AC
For years, Bell Textron Inc., formerly known as Bell Helicopter, has supported Amarillo College (AC) and its Kids’ College by presenting educational summer camps that aim to help develop the future workforce, and that tradition is continuing this month at AC.
The Bell Flight Camp for area middle school students was conducted during the week of July 15, with the first three meetings held on the Washington Street campus. The camp’s capstone session was on Thursday, July 18 and entailed a tour of the Bell facility, followed by a visit to the Texas Air & Space Museum.
“Our partnership with Amarillo College in the summer is ideal as we look to grow our workforce here in Amarillo,” said Sonja Clark, site leader for Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center. “A large portion of our future workforce are in middle school and high school right now, and to have the opportunity to start showing these students the career possibilities at Bell through our Flight Camp is only the beginning of our strategy for future growth.”
At Bell’s Flight Camp, students learn about the forces of flight, engineering disciplines that support aerospace production, manufacturing techniques, teamwork, and more based on Bell’s mission to define the future of advanced air mobility.
Bell’s Amarillo Assembly Center is home to the assembly and final delivery of military aircraft such as the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, an aircraft that has fundamentally changed how the U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy operate in combat and humanitarian operations. Bell’s workforce in Amarillo is comprised mainly of skilled mechanics, engineers, and supply chain personnel along with a variety of other support functions needed to support the assembly and flight operations of these military aircraft.
For more information about Bell’s Flight Camp, or the more than 70 other Kids’ College camps being conducted this summer by Amarillo College, contact Tiffany Van Buren, Kids’ College Coordinator, at 806-626-1843.
Panhandle Plains Historical Museum hosts STEAM camp
The Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, located on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, hosted its “STEAM” camp for children July 16-19. During the camp, children explored topics connected to STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) with various community organizations, including the Amarillo Art Institute, Amarillo Zoo, Discovery Center, Snapology, Xcel Energy, the Science Spectrum and WT’s Engineering Department.
Summer programs continue through Aug. 10 on Thursdays through Saturdays. For more information on Panhandle Plains Historical Museum, check out their website or their page on Facebook.
Don Harrington Discovery Center celebrates year of educational impact
The Discovery Center Collective is proud to celebrate a year full of engaging educational activities and community impact, made possible by the support of its education partnerships.
“As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we look back on the 2023-24 school year with gratitude and excitement,” a news release states. “Throughout the school year, we served 30,389 students across the panhandle and beyond.”
This includes 131 field trips, where numerous school groups were welcomed during visits at the Wildcat Bluff and DHDC, and took part in hands-on learning experiences in natural and physical sciences. The DHDC’s interactive education events hosted nearly 3,000 students, sparking curiosity and inspiring a love for science. With 42 On-Your-Campus Programs and traveling over 1,500 miles, DHDC brought educational programs directly to schools, reaching students in their own classrooms. In 44 Family Science Nights, DHDC engaged families with fun, educational activities that encourage scientific exploration together. They also provided 36,000 solar eclipse glasses, in partnership with Amarillo ISD, for safe solar viewing, and sold an additional 4,000 glasses to the community. These accomplishments highlight their mission to spark curiosity, inspire lifelong learning through play, and bring out the individual genius in each learner, the release says.
“We are thrilled to have made such a significant impact this year,” said Heather Stover, Director of Education. “Our success is a testament to the support we receive from our community and our partnerships with local schools.”
As they look forward to another exciting year of discovery, DHDC extends their gratitude to Amarillo ISD, Dumas ISD, Boys Ranch ISD, and Steamboat Station for their invaluable support and commitment to inspiring young minds. For more information about school partnerships, contact Heather Stover at [email protected].
Fire Academy hosts physical ability testing at First Responders Academy ahead of coursework portion
Amarillo College administered physical ability testing for anyone seeking admission to the AC Fire Academy on July 20 in its new state-of-the-art First Responders Academy.
The multi-million-dollar facility is located on Plains Boulevard and is adjacent to the Arts in the Sunset, formerly Sunset Center, a news release notes. Passing the physical ability test, which consists of simulated fire-scene activities, is among the requirements for admission to the Fire Academy. Upon completing the Fire Academy, which includes basic EMT training, and then passing the certification exams, students will be eligible to work anywhere in the state or country. Graduates have secured positions with various agencies in the area, including the fire departments for Amarillo, Borger, Cactus, Canyon, Dumas, Pampa, Potter County and Randall County.
The traditional in-person academy is scheduled to begin Aug. 19 and meets 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. For a hybrid academy, online coursework begins Aug. 19, with several three-day, in-person weekend sessions. Both academies are scheduled to conclude in mid-December 2024.
To learn more, contact Steve Malley, Fire Academy coordinator, at [email protected] or call 806-335-4306.
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