NEWS
Faith Community Bowie ER to close Oct. 6
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Just about a month shy of celebrating its one-year anniversary, Faith Community Emergency Room in Bowie will be closing as of 7 a.m. on Oct. 6.
Frank L. Beaman, chief executive officer of Faith Community Health System, confirmed the closure to The Bowie News through a statement on Monday. Several employees of the ER had already contacted the Bowie News about the closure.
In the statement Beaman said the evaluations of productivity, utilization and economics of the facility and comparing the actual data again projections revealed, “The facility is not meeting the projections required to maintain operations.”
It continues the goal was to provide Level IV trauma emergency care, and that endeavor was successful with positive feedback. However, the utilization and referrals to Faith Community Health System’s main campus did not materialize. Faith also attempted to convert the facility under a new federal designation known as Rural Emergency Hospital, but the attempts were unsuccessful due to the way the legislation was written. It only allowed for conversion of an existing acute care hospital and does not provide for designation of a new ER like what was opened in Bowie. This eliminated any federal funding.
“Operating what effectively is a free-standing ER is simply not sustainable without a greater level of financial support from the community,” stated Beaman.
The ER’s grand opening took place on Oct. 23, 2023 after more than two years of work remodeling and repairing the old hospital. In mid-August 2021 Faith Community Health System officials announced its intentions to open the ER as an arm of its Jacksboro facility.
Bowie had been without any local hospital or ER care since early 2020 when Central Hospital closed. The nearest ER care came at Nocona General Hospital during that period. The fully operational Bowie Memorial Hospital closed on Nov. 16, 2015 after nearly 50 years of service to the area.
Read more about this closure in the Wednesday Bowie News.
Photo – Grand opening day tours of the Bowie ER last October. (Bowie News file photo)
The jury was seated on Monday and the opening day of testimony Tuesday only lasted four hours, before the panel went into deliberations about 2 p.m.
Two hours later the jury returned a guilty verdict on both charges. Wednesday morning the jury was set to begin discussion on Hall’s punishment at 8:30 a.m. with both sides offering evidence and testimony. Hall faces up to 10 years in prison.
The trial was moved to Denton County on a change of venue requested by Hall in March. After 16th District Judge Sherry Shipman read the verdict, it was reported Hall hung her head in disappointment and was later seen crying and emotional as she left the courtroom.
Members of the Bowie City Council will meet in regular session at 6 p.m. on May 13 in council chambers.
The meeting opens with a proclamation for Emergency Medical Services Week.
City Manager Bert Cunningham will report on recent rainfall problems, Smythe Street sidewalk project and the substation work.
There is only one item of new business an ordinance related to speed limits on specific streets. Public comments and approval of minutes wrap up the agenda.
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