From Staff Reports
It’s a $5 million investment in health care for Navarro County.
Dignitaries from the hospital, city and county were on hand Friday for the groundbreaking of a new emergency department at Navarro Regional Hospital.
The new emergency department will be 9,000-square foot with 14 treatment rooms, a dedicated radiology center, and all new equipment. The budget is nearly $5 million, according to Xavier Villarreal, the chief executive officer of the hospital.
“The emergency room is, and does become often times, the front door to our hospital,” Villarreal said. “This expansion particularly shows our dedication as a hospital and facility to grow with the community, and ensures that we’re equipped to handle the emergency needs of our local patients for the foreseeable future.”
Navarro Regional Hospital’s emergency room had between 21,000 and 22,000 visits last year, but this year could have more than 23,000, he said.
“It truly is an investment in our community,” Villarreal said.
The increased space and high-tech features are designed to enhance the work of health care, and improve speed and efficiency. And, the improvements are welcomed by hospital staff and physicians alike.
“I think Community Health Systems’ commitment to this hospital is evident,” said Dr. Bob Kingman, incoming chief of staff for Navarro Regional. “We’re very excited as the practicing physicians here ... we look forward to working in this new area.”
“One of the critical factors when you look at quality of life in a community is the quality of the medical care that community provides,” said Dr. Bill McHenry, chairman of Navarro Regional’s board of directors. “Corsicana and Navarro County have been blessed for decades with high quality medical care.”
McHenry said the new ER facility will provide state-of-the-art medical care, excellent medical amenities, and patient and family privacy in a more pleasant environment.
“The board is excited ... it represents another step in our journey to provide outstanding medical care to the people of Corsicana and Navarro County.”
“Our job is to provide resources to the hospitals we’re partnered with,” said Michael Portacci, division president for Community Health Systems, the hospital’s parent company. “It wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the great physicians and great employees we have here. The service and quality that we provide is what drives the opportunity to do this.”
The new emergency department will open around the end of 2010, but the current emergency room shouldn’t be affected by the construction work, Villarreal said.
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