PALESTINE — Christus Health broke ground Wednesday on a new state-of-the-art emergency hospital in Palestine, expanding care in the area.
Located next to the Christus Magnolia clinic on Loop 256, construction on the nearly 20,000 square-foot facility is scheduled to begin in the next few weeks, with a projected completion date of fall 2025.
With representatives from Christus, the City of Palestine and Anderson County in attendance, Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System President Jason Proctor emphasized the need for high-quality emergency care in rural East Texas and expansion of Christus’ footprint in the area.
“I stand here today humbled and excited to think that in the not-so-distant future, we are going to have an amazing facility on this ground,” Proctor said. “I cannot thank the city, the mayor and everyone involved in this for making it a reality. Palestine is an area we had prioritized for expansion, and we are thrilled to deliver on that.”
The new facility represents a more than $30 million investment from Christus and will feature around-the-clock services, including 10 inpatient beds for overnight stays, 15 emergency room beds, full-service imaging, and onsite laboratory services.
The facility will employ 25 full-time nurses and providers.
“I have been in Palestine my whole life and I understand the importance of health care here probably better than anyone,” said Palestine Mayor Mitchell Jordan. “We are now even more plugged in to the vast network of Christus and its resources. This is a win for Palestine and for all of Anderson County and surrounding areas.”
The Palestine project is the third announced expansion by Christus Health in East Texas, joining Henderson and Mount Pleasant.
“It is a major initiative of Christus to continue to identify areas where we can best serve the community,” said Chris Glenney, Christus Health senior vice president of group operations
Northeast Texas and North Louisiana. “This facility in Palestine is now our 17th emergency center in the region, and its ability to serve so many fits in perfect harmony of our mission to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.”
Preliminary site preparation is underway with Quitman, Texas-based Jackson Construction serving as construction lead.
As part of Christus Health, Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System is a faith-based, not-for-profit health system serving the northeast Texas community with eight hospitals and multiple primary and immediate care facilities and health and wellness centers with nearly 10,000 Associates. We specialize in cardiology, oncology, neurology, orthopedics, sports medicine, mother/baby services, pediatrics, neonatal intensive care, trauma, stroke care, surgery and women’s health. Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston, Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio and the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, our mission is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to every individual we serve. For more information, visit www.christushealth.org.
— Villatoro, a Report for America Corps member reporting for the Tyler Morning Telegraph, can be contacted at rvillatoro@tylerpaper.com. To make a donation to support work like this, visit Your support helps to write the narrative that truth matters, that undercovered stories deserve to be told, and that on-the-ground journalism serves our communities in immeasurable ways. Your gift supports Report for America corps members’ salaries to cover key issues including health, justice, education and the environment.
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