Orange welcomes new hospital

More than two years after breaking ground, several hundred people gathered for the opening of the new CHRISTUS Hospital-Orange on Jan. 29 at the Gisela Houseman Medical Campus, located at Medical Center Drive off the Interstate 10 service road. The first day of service was Feb. 1. Residents of Orange County and surrounding areas have been without a hospital since the closure of Baptist Hospital’s Orange campus on Jan. 12, 2017.

Now, seven years later, residents can come to a new state-of-the-art facility complete with a large nursing center, emergency services, diagnostic imaging center, a women’s center and laboratory services in a two-story, 55,000-squarefoot medical office building designed to maximize campus connectivity, patient satisfaction and provider efficiency.

Gisela Houseman donated the 20-acre plot of land for the 5.5-acre footprint campus and CHRISTUS broke ground on the future site of the facility in January 2022.

“This is the most joyous day and I am so excited that this project has come to fruition,” said Houseman. “The best part is the celebration for the citizens of Orange because they deserve the best health care and CHRISTUS is going to give it to them.”

Houseman added that she was excited to be able to contribute land to make it happen.

“I never dreamed this would be so beautiful,” Houseman reflected. “Dr. (Marty) Rutledge and I have said all along we needed a new hospital. He was very persistent, and we worked together.”

Caring for the community

As detailed at the hospital’s opening, the emergency room offers comprehensive emergency care for all ages, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If hospitalization is required, or for more specialized care, the hospital provides direct access to CHRISTUS Southeast Texas-St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont.

The emergency room houses 10 examination rooms and two triage rooms, along with experienced emergency room trauma nurses and other emergency personnel.

The hospital features a full-imaging center that offers the highest level of diagnostic procedures, enabling physicians to make the most appropriate treatment recommendation. Advanced imaging technology includes MRI, 160-slice CT, CT lung screening, CT calcium score, EKG, digital radiography, and diagnostic and vascular ultrasound.

The Women’s Center offers personalized comprehensive care including a high-risk cancer program and genetic testing. Other services include advanced 3D mammography, bone density screening, breast ultrasound and a breast navigation program.

Laboratory services provide onsite testing, including routine monitoring, diagnosis and annual health screening. The lab also supports the emergency room with vital test results 24/7 to support treatment for all patients.

Kevin Parsley, COO for the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System, said the hospital is fully operational with exception of an MRI because of a delay in delivery that should soon be rectified.

Continuing coverage of the hospital’s layout, the nursing station is adjacent to the examination rooms, triage rooms and overnight rooms. Also, the hospital has four rooms for patients needing overnight or in-patient treatment.

Parsley said the NexCore Group developed the facility and CHRISTUS is excited about providing health services to the community.

“Residents will have access to emergency care and out-patient services with state-of-the-art equipment,” he said, adding that the plan for the hospital originated years ago when community members approached CHRISTUS to become part of the venture to bring health services back to Orange.

“Several years ago, members of the community approached us about the position and idea of this facility and wanted CHRISTUS to be here in the facility,” he said. “As we continued to have discussions, our visions aligned in term of how we came together to be a part of this partnership. From our viewpoint, this is the start of our legacy. We see this as the beginning of our ministry in Orange and we’ll continue to grow as this community continues to grow.”

“Being connected to CHRISTUS and all the resources we have across Southeast Texas, we are proud to now be a part of this community and to be able to offer access to services,” Parsley added.

According to Parsley, CHRISTUS was able expand their Southeast Texas footprint with the opening of the Orange facility and is bringing technology found in larger metropolitans to more rural areas of Southeast Texas. The provider is also bringing in a crew of approximately 80, which includes staff members and contract workers.

“We want to bring that to Orange so patients won’t have to travel to access treatment such as imaging services,” he said.

Paul Trevino, president and CEO of CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Health System, said this type of project doesn’t happen overnight.

“It happens because of the commitment, energy, passion and resources of the leaders of the community, business community, medical community,” Trevino expressed. “We felt that in a big way when we were invited to look at this project.”

Orange Mayor Larry Spears Jr. said many people may not know the significance of this hospital, but, from his vantage point: “This is an answered prayer.”

Spears pointed to natural and manmade devastation impacting Orange communities over the years and welcomed a hospital provider close to home. In the company of House Speaker and Orange representative to the Texas Legislature Dade Phelan, Spears praised the fruition of a project that the elected state leader said was a project on his plate for quite some time.

“This was a long time coming,” Phelan remarked, noting that the last Orange hospital shuttered just as he was first elected into office in 2017, making Orange County the largest county in Texas without a full-service hospital. “That was a lot to deal with during my first week in office; we knew it was going to be a long process (to recover).”

Phelan said a public-private partnership is the ideal situation in moving forward.

“Rural Texas is struggling with health care,” Phelan said. “But, when you get a commitment from a partner like CHRISTUS, you know they’re here for the long haul.”