NEWS
Faith Community Health System Bowie ER celebrates grand opening
It was a momentous day for the community of Bowie as local emergency healthcare returned with the grand opening of Faith Community Health System Bowie Emergency Room on Oct. 23.
Hospital officials, community leaders, board members, local medical personnel, hospital employees, and community members gathered under cloudy skies and light rain for the event, but it did not dampen the mood a bit as words of celebration were shared by all. The ceremony concluded with a ribbon cutting, snacks, and tours of sections of the facility. The ER began seeing patients on Oct. 1, which was a proud moment for all who have worked tirelessly for years to make the opening a reality after the closure of the former hospital.
Bowie Memorial Hospital closed its doors on Nov. 16, 2015, after nearly five decades of service to the area. In May 2017, the community was hopeful as the property reopened its doors as Central Hospital of Bowie, but once again, saw its doors closed in early 2020. It was the last rural hospital to see closure in the sate of Texas.
Emergency medical care became a major concern for the community as the property was in and out of the bank’s hands many times and up for sale on the courthouse steps. Citizens were made to rely on Nocona General Hospital and Wise Health Care in Decatur for emergency care.
Finally, the facility landed with investors who worked with Faith Community Health System. It was announced mid-August 2021 that they would open an emergency room at the former hospital location.
However, it was a longer process than anyone had anticipated as the building had been left to waste after its closing. Rain, freezing weather, thieves and neglect took a drastic toll by the time Faith Health System launched the renovation, but the last two years have been fraught with delays and unexpected costs, many caused by the pandemic and post-pandemic business environment. Renovations included new HVAC, wiring, roof and several large pieces of equipment including an MRI machine. The pandemic and resulting supply chain issues slowed the renovations.
There were years of behind-the-scenes work by many dedicated individuals to make the opening possible as they worked to overcome these obstacles and many more, a feat that Chief Executive Officer Frank Beaman could only compare to an iceberg in his opening statements during Monday’s ceremony.
“Driving here I thought, how do I characterize what has been done? All of you know the tip of an iceberg isn’t near what an iceberg looks like. This project was just like that. There was so much under the water that you didn’t see what all went on to make this possible,” said Beaman.
To read more, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of The Bowie News.
The Department of Public Safety has provided information on an auto vs. motorcycle accident that reportedly occurred on July 4.
James Lee Hilton, Nocona, was driving a 2019 Harley-Davidson motorcycle and Daniel Parra, Chico, was driving a 2018 Ford Fiesta. Both vehicles were north on State Highway 101 outside Sunset with the motorcycle behind the car.
Parra was attempting to turn left on Farm-to-Market Road 2265 when the motorcyclist attempted to unsafely pass to the left states the report. The bike struck the left side of the Fiesta. Both vehicles came to rest off the roadway on the northwest corner of SH 101 and FM 2265.
Hilton was transported to Denton Medical City with
A major crash on East Wise in front of the Second Monday parking on July 11 shut down traffic for several hours in the morning and sent two people to the Bowie emergency room.
The accident occurred at 9:53 a.m. Thursday at 1616 E. Wise involving a large sign installation truck and an SUV.
Briana Rollison, Bowie, was driving a 2001 Ford Expedition east in the 1600 block of E. Wise and the large truck from Turner Signs System of Richland Hills was traveling west on East Wise driven by Joshua Thompson.
The preliminary accident report states Thompson lost control of the vehicle crossing the double yellow line striking the SUV in front of the Parker Properties and Farm Services Building. The SUV was knocked into the ditch and later made it back on the roadway.
The truck rolled on the passenger side and slid about 50-100 feet west of the incident location. Skid marks from the truck were observed to start approximately 300-350 feet east of the crash location.
See the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Bowie City Councilors this week got their first look at the 2024-25 proposed budget seeing a balanced plan with a total operational budget of $23,296,885 in expenses, which is a little more than $1.4 million above the previous year’s budget.
Mayor Gaylynn Burris said Monday night the budget looks “eerily familiar” to last year, despite adding a few equipment purchases. City Manager Bert Cunningham said he had already slashed more than $300,000 from the department requests in order to get a balanced budget.
The utility fund is balanced with expenses of $12,595,995 and revenues projected at $12,601,000. In the general fund revenues are projected at $10,705,568 with expenses at $10,700,890. Total budget expenses are $23,296,885 and overall revenue projected at $23,306,568. Cunningham said it leaves a small margin to set forth a balanced budget.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Top photo: New chip and seal was laid on Elba and Lamb this week repairing well-worn roads near the Nelson/Mill drainage project. (Photo by Barbara Green)
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