CHRISTUS Health, city of Kilgore, Kilgore College celebrate opening of new health education facility
7/11/2024
"I thought about it this morning as I was making my way here, the countless lives that this facility is going to impact in this community,” said Todd Hancock, president, CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System. “Not only the patients that come through our doors, but the students that will be trained to be health care professionals for years to come.”
More than 300 guests got a first-hand look at the 75,000 square-foot center that includes new teaching and state-of-the-art lab space through Kilgore College’s health science programs, a new CHRISTUS Trinity Clinic family medicine location and an out-patient physical therapy location, each located adjacent to the CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Emergency Center.
“The college could not have asked for better partners than CHRISTUS and the city of Kilgore,” said Dr. Brenda Kays, president, Kilgore College. “They believed in the college’s ability to not only dream big, but to turn that dream into a reality.”
Built on the grounds of the former Laird Memorial Hospital at 1612 Henderson Blvd., construction on the Kilgore facility began in March 2022, with the clinic featuring 24 exam rooms, lab, x-ray, and seven providers.
Nearly half the space is home to Kilgore College’s Torrence Health Science Education Center, which houses new teaching and lab space and is home to the college’s associate degree nursing, vocational nursing, physical therapy assistant and radiologic technology programs.
Hancock praised the collaboration between CHRISTUS, the city and Kilgore College, emphasizing the benefits not only to Kilgore, but to the entire region, in both health care and health education.
"I cannot thank everyone enough for their efforts in this,” Hancock said. “We have overcome a lot to get here, but I am so glad we did and now this community has the first-class facility it deserves.”