CHRISTUS Health Unveils Newly Renovated Emergency Room at Mother Frances Hospital - Jacksonville

CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System celebrated a newly renovated and expanded emergency room with a blessing and ceremony on Tuesday.

Among the upgrades, the $1 million project at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Jacksonville includes the doubling in size of the processing department, creating a triage suite and registration store front, expanding the nursing station and establishing a centralized location for supply storage, helping to reduce the time needed to find the necessary equipment.

“This is such an extreme makeover that even Chip and Joanna would be proud of,” said Barry Lofquist, administrator, CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Jacksonville. “But, without the people, it is just a pretty building with cool stuff. We are here to celebrate not only the facility but everyone who works in the emergency department. Today is as much about them and their work as it is about a new building.”

Representatives from CHRISTUS and the City of Jacksonville spoke at the event, including Dwain Coates, the clinical director for the emergency care clinic.

Coates said the facility will streamline the patient check-in process, diagnosis, and treatment, leading to shorter times in the ER.

“When I first started here, we saw 12 patients daily,” Coates said. “Now, we are seeing five times that amount, and our goal is to provide each and every one of those patients the health care they deserve so that they do not have to leave the community.”

Those in attendance were given guided tours of the facility, where the emphasis on a more open-concept layout were on display to allow for smoother operation and patient experience.

Jacksonville Mayor Randy Gorham praised CHRISTUS for the continued investment into health care in Jacksonville and the surrounding East Texas region.

“I cannot emphasize enough that CHRISTUS is one of the great partners the city of Jacksonville has,” Gorham said. “Staying stagnant is not what CHRISTUS is about. They are always adding new stuff to offer the greatest health care to the community that they can. This facility is a representation of that.”

The emergency room at CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital – Jacksonville is located at 2026 S. Jackson Street, adjacent to the main hospital entrance.