There will be a public meeting at 6 p.m. on Oct. 30 in the Bowie Community Center’s west hall to discuss the closing of the Bowie Emergency room and what can be done to move the process toward another hospital or ER.
City Manager Bert Cunningham said while he was helping organize the meeting, he noted the City of Bowie is not involved in this process.
The Faith Community Health System Bowie ER was closed on Oct. 6 just a few weeks shy of celebrating its one year anniversary. The grand opening took place after more than two years of work remodeling and repairing the ER portion of the old hospital.
Bowie had been without a local hospital or ER since early 2020 when Central Hospital closed its doors. Prior to that Bowie Memorial Hospital had operated for 49 years before closing on Nov. 16, 2015.
After Central closed, locals had to rely on Nocona General Hospital and Wise Health System for emergency care. Faith officials said the ER was not meeting the projections required to maintain operations.
The company also had failed to obtain a designation as a Rural Emergency Hospital, which could have provided more $3.2 million for its operations. Hospital officials said the wording of the legislation allowed for an acute care hospital, not a new ER.