CHRISTUS Health of Irving, Texas, has formed a joint operating company with the Hopkins County Hospital District of Sulphur Springs, Texas, which owned a 96-bed public hospital and nine clinics.
Under the organizations' agreement — which took effect July 12 — CHRISTUS and the Hopkins County Hospital District formed a joint operating company called CHRISTUS Hopkins Health Alliance. CHRISTUS has a 51 percent stake in that company, and the hospital district, a 49 percent stake. The organizations are not releasing the specific financial terms of the arrangement.
Prior to the execution of the deal, a seven-member board oversaw the hospital district. Now, a 10-member joint operating company board joins CHRISTUS in overseeing the operations of the hospital and clinics. CHRISTUS and the hospital district each elects half of the directors.
The district's hospital, which was called Hopkins County Memorial Hospital, now has a new name: CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital—Sulphur Springs. CHRISTUS now manages the hospital, which is a rural facility. Some of the hospital district's clinics are in Sulphur Springs — those now are called CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic — Sulphur Springs; and some are in Emory, Texas — those now are called CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic — Emory. The facilities now are Catholic; they operate under the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.
According to information from CHRISTUS, the hospital's 740 full- and part-time employees were to become employees of the joint operating company Oct. 1. A CHRISTUS spokesperson said "no immediate changes in leadership, staffing or services are expected." Paul Harvey has been named chief executive of CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital — Sulphur Springs. He replaced Chief Executive Michael McAndrew.
McAndrew said in a press release prior to the deal's close that "we knew that if we didn't find a strong partner we would not be able to continue our mission. (The agreement) will ensure our viability, irrespective of the monumental changes in health care, for generations to come."
Joe Bob Burgin, who was on the legacy board and who now is on the new organization's board, added in the release that CHRISTUS has a strong presence in East Texas, "with hospitals in Texarkana, Atlanta, Tyler and now...Sulphur Springs and very possibly more to come."
The Sulphur Springs hospital and clinics are part of CHRISTUS' Northeast Texas Region, which also includes the facilities that became part of CHRISTUS when Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics of Tyler, Texas, joined CHRISTUS May 4. Now called CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System, it has three hospitals, two specialty hospitals and a network of other East Texas facilities. Sulphur Springs is about 60 miles northeast of Tyler.
CHRISTUS has more than 50 hospitals and long-term care facilities and a network of other sites in six U.S. states and in Mexico, Chile and Colombia.
Copyright © 2016 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States
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