NEWS
Bowie ER opens after 2 years of work by Faith Community Health System
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
On Sunday afternoon the culmination of two years of hard work came to fruition as Faith Community Health System opened the doors of its new hospital emergency room in Bowie.
Chief Executive Officer Frank Beaman announced the ER was “going live” at the climax of a reverential dedication ceremony for employees, families and community leaders Sunday afternoon. It was greeted with loud applause from the audience.
There will be a grand opening ribbon cutting at noon on Oct. 23 and the public is invited.
Bowie Memorial Hospital closed Nov. 16, 2015 after nearly 50 years of service to the area. The property was purchased and reopened in May 2017 as Central Hospital of Bowie, but it closed in early 2020. Emergency care has relied on Nocona General Hospital and Wise Health in Decatur.
In mid-August 2021 Faith Community Health System announced it would open an emergency room at the former hospital location.
It was a major undertaking as the building had been left to waste after it closed. Rain, freezing weather, thieves and neglect took a drastic toll by the time Faith launched the renovation and announced its intention to open a full hospital ER in August 2021. The last two years have been fraught with delays and unexpected costs many caused by the pandemic and post-pandemic business environment.
The opening
Dr. Shawn White, medical director for Faith Community, welcomed the guests and reflected on how he was tasked with helping coordinate about 40 providers, employees and their families as the system grows. He promised the team at Faith, “Have their hearts in the right places doing this work to edify Bowie and serve patients”
Beaman said this was a very proud moment for his executive team, the board and all the employees who have been working to prepare the opening.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
After a major water line break on Wednesday, the City of Saint Jo issued a boil order for its customers. Following a series of testing over the next few days, the order is expected to be lifted.
The City of Saint Jo reports a major water line break has occurred at U.S. Highway 82 and Boggess Street at the red light. Utility crews are on site and TxDOT is coming to assist with traffic. Drivers should be cautious in this area.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
One week ago a 14-year-old boy went into his classroom at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA shooting and killing four people and injuring nine.
According to Education Week Tracker this was the first deadly shooting of the new academic year and the deadliest since March 2023 when six people were killed at The Covenant School in Nashville.
During the course of just two days last week, three people were injured by gunfire during a football game in Martinsburg, WV, a 15-year-old student was shot in a school bathroom in Maryland and died from his injuries and a teacher was grazed by a stray bullet as he prepared for class in his room in the Bronx, NY.
Lt. Bob Blackburn of the Bowie Independent School District and Bowie Police school resource team said they immediately got word of the shooting in Georgia on Sept. 4 from other schools, law enforcement and general media. Bowie has an SRO on each of its four campuses.
“When you get the word it creates a certain immediate heightened awareness. You try to stay highly aware each day, but it goes like a wave through law enforcement as you begin to think are we prepared if that happened right now,” reflects Blackburn.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
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