Construction begins at CHRISTUS St. Michael ER center in Texarkana

TEXARKANA, Texas (KSLA) - Construction is underway in Texarkana, and leaders say the project will provide better access to emergency medical care.

The emergency department at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System in Texarkana is no different than other hospital emergency rooms, which can become very busy. Hospital leaders in Texarkana are taking action that they say should relieve some of the pressure.

On Tuesday morning (March 28), a groundbreaking ceremony was held to signal the start of construction for a new CHRISTUS emergency center.

“We are building a 12,000-square-foot, 12-bed emergency center that will be capable of seeing 24,000 people a year at an easy-to-access location,” said Jason Adams, president of CHRISTUS St. Michael.

The freestanding building will be located at 4250 Gibson Lane in Texarkana, Texas. Adams says the new facility is an investment of more than $17 million.

“We have seen significant growth in emergency services and we have needed to expand at the hospital for some time, so it makes sense to create a new site of services to decompress traffic on site,” Adams said.

City officials say the new facility is more than an investment in medical care.

“Also spur growth in this corridor, which in turn will help with city sales tax revenues, which benefits the city, the state, as well as the county,” Mayor Bob Bruggeman said of the project.

CHRISTUS St. Michael has around 2,000 employees. With this new construction, leaders say an additional 35 jobs will be created.

“We will be able to coordinate care with the facility and the main hospital to service everyone’s needs,” Adams said.

The new facility should open sometime in the summer of 2024.

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