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.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
The Bowie City Council accepted a $1.38 million bid for phase two of the sewer line replacement program and received an engineer’s update on Nelson Street drainage.
Council members met Monday night and opened the evening with the presentation of proclamations for Emergency Medical Services Week and National Travel and Tourism Week. Members of the Bowie EMS service accepted the first proclamation and Cindy Roller of Bowie Community Development accepted the second.
City Manager Bert Cunningham reported the city received one bid for phase two of the sewer line project that will replace the Glenn Hills lift station and sludge pumps at the wastewater plant. While the bid came in above the original estimate, Mike Tibbetts of Hayter Engineering, said there are several things that can be removed to lower the costs.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
Pictured – replacing a manhole in phase one. (Courtesy photo)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
In its six-month financial report for fiscal 2024-25 Bowie City Council members saw budget revenues were not coming in as high as projected, despite the budget using conservative figures.
During the Monday meeting, Finance Director Pamela Woods reviewed the numbers at the half-way point of the year. She said all the department heads are doing well keeping their expenses within budget just below the 50% level or 49.26% overall. Despite that, expenses are above revenues in the utility fund by almost $100,000.
In the utility fund revenues are 46.11% of budget in water; 53.19% in sewer and 43.74% in electric. The total utility fund revenue is at 46.42% of the budget or $5,572,694.
(Pictured above) Carol Moore also addressed the council on disrepair at the Pelham Park walking track urging it to make repairs and maintain it.
Read the full council story in the weekend Bowie News.
Two people were transported to the hospital with possible injuries from a three-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon in a highway department work zone on State Highway 59.
The accident occurred on Hwy 59 near Allison Road at 4:09 p.m. on May 14. There were three vehicles containing a total of six people.
Vehicle one driven by Carlin Jaster, Bowie with his passenger Zana Lara, Bowie, were traveling south on Hwy. 59. Two other vehicles driven by Kjersti Compton, Sunset and Edward Meadows, Grapevine were also southbound but stopped in a construction zone.
Jaster failed to control his speed and a chain-reaction crash occurred as he struck Compton who then hit Meadows.
Jaster and Lara were transported to Nocona General Hospital with non-incapacitating injuries. The others were uninjured. Tuesday was the first day for road construction along State Highway 59. Digital signs were posted for delays.
(Pictured above) Bowie Rural Fire Department and Bowie EMS responded to this three-vehicle chain reaction crash on State Highway 59 near Allison Road on Tuesday afternoon. There were a total of six people in the three vehicles, and two were transported to Nocona General with possible injuries. (Courtesy photo)
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