By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor

Twenty-four-hour emergency care will soon be available in Athens, Texas, from Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System with the construction of a new emergency care center that is set to begin later this year.

The new facility features new exam rooms, trauma rooms, a full-service imaging center, and a laboratory for easier access to test results. The clinical staff will include board-certified emergency medicine physicians and registered nurses, as well as radiology and laboratory technicians. The new Athens Emergency Care Center will accept ambulance traffic.

Christus Trinity Clinic will also expand facilities onsite, adding more than 10,000 square feet. The primary care providers currently located at the clinic will continue practicing alongside specialty providers in cardiac, orthopedics, vascular, pain management, podiatry, endocrinology and sleep medicine.

“Being able to access quality, COVID-safe health care, especially emergency care, is of huge importance to our patients. With the new facility, we are answering the needs of our patients in Athens and the surrounding area,” said Jason Proctor, president of Christus Mother Frances Hospital and the Christus Trinity Mother Frances Louis and Peaches Owen Heart Hospital-Tyler. With the addition of the emergency care center, Christus Trinity Mother Frances will have approximately 50 employees in Athens.

“I am proud to be a part of the Christus Trinity Mother Frances Health System,” said Terri Eckert, M.D., lead physician in Athens. “Our health system has been committed to providing quality health care in this community and across East Texas for many years. Our family is ingrained in this community and proud to call Athens home, and we are proud this Emergency facility will be a blessing to not only our community but surrounding communities who need access to this care.”

“Having this kind of access to high-quality emergency care for a community like Athens and surrounding areas is a much-needed addition and a true lifesaver for patients,” said Ryan Tamula, administrative director emergency care centers. “This facility will be able to provide a higher level of services and convenience as well as an opportunity of improved health.”