Team Health on board

Team Health, a national company meeting the emergency medicine needs of hospitals in 46 states, has contracted to staff physicians at Purcell Municipal Hospital’s emergency department.

On board as the department’s new medical director is Dr. Matt Wood.

“He just stepped into this role and officially started March 1,” said Chris Wright, chief executive officer at the hospital.

“This is a very positive change and is very patient-focused.”

Wright heralded what he described as the “best care possible in their (residents’) own backyard.”

Team Health will provide the highest care possible to the community and surrounding area, he added.

The company’s national headquarters is in Knoxville, Tenn., but the local home office is nearby at Moore.

Wood said ideally, the company will provide six full-time physicians, each working 12 to 15 shifts per month.

With current volume in the emergency department, Wood  said there will be one physician on duty at a time.

The emergency department will operate 24/7 as a Level 4 trauma center.

The OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center is the state’s only Level 1 trauma center. Saint Anthony’s is a Level 2.

“Everyone in Purcell who needs care  will be able to seek it here and not have to out outside,” Wood said. “We can perform any emergency life-saving treatment and diagnosis.”

While some services aren’t available at PMH, Wood said the Team Health emergency physicians “can see and treat any condition.”

“We can do initial stabilization and treatment in any condition and get people to definitive care,” he explained.

Wood has eight years in emergency medicine, including a 4-year residency at Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton.

“This is my primary hospital,” he said of PMH.

Emergency medicine is a good fit for Wood, who admitted being a bit of an adrenaline junkie.

“I initially considered family practice,” he said, “but I never found one specialty I was in love with.”

The defining moment for his career choice came May 20, 2013.

He was working at Integris Southwest when a deadly tornado destroyed much of Moore, including the hospital,

Treating the victims of the devastating EF5 tornado “was some of the most intense work I’ve done.”

Wood said he also saw and treated a lot of trauma while in Lawton.

“I was fortunate to train there,” he said.

Wood began moonlighting at PMH in 2015.

“I’m really excited to be here in this role,” he said. “I like the people and it’s a pleasure to care for them.”