Good Shepherd Health System officials broke ground on new outpat - KYTX CBS 19 Tyler Longview News Weather Sports

LONGVIEW (KYTX) - Friday, Good Shepherd Health System officials formally broke ground on Good Shepherd's new outpatient and emergency center, located in North Longview on Hawkins Parkway adjacent to the Institute for Healthy Living. 

The 74,000 square-foot outpatient and emergency center will house a variety of specialties including outpatient imaging & X-ray services including digital mammography screening, outpatient laboratory services, a full Emergency Center equipped with advanced technology to diagnose and treat patients with urgent and emergent health issues and the offices of Longview Orthopaedic Clinic Association.

"With the growing volumes of patients to the Good Shepherd – Longview emergency department, offering an additional location for these services will hopefully improve wait times at the Medical Center and offer patients in this location easy access to urgent and emergent care for injuries and illness," said John DiPasquale, MD, emergency physician with Leading Edge Medical Associates. The center will receive ambulance patients and transport patients who need a higher level of care after they are stabilized to the Medical Center, as needed. The new emergency center location is a department of the Good Shepherd Medical Center Level II Trauma Center, and will be staffed by the same emergency registered nurses and board certified emergency physicians from Leading Edge Medical Associates.

Longview Orthopaedic Clinic will be relocating their practice to this new facility where they will be increasing their overall exam space thus allowing them to expand their patient base with room to add physicians to their practice as needed by the community. Their portion of the center will include a complete physical therapy gym, exam rooms and two outpatient procedure rooms. Longview Orthopaedic is currently staffed with five orthopedic surgeons and three physician assistants.

The center will also offer a full range of outpatient imaging services including ultrasound, X-ray, spiral CT, digital screening mammography and open MRI. The radiologists of Medical Imaging Consultants will provide interpretation services of all imaging procedures. According to Alan Glowczwski, MD, Medical Imaging Consultants, the new open MRI will serve as the strongest of this type of technology in Longview at 1.2 tesla. With its robust magnetic field strength, the open MRI will provide better quality pictures at a faster rate. This allows the radiologists to have a clearer picture of what they are viewing and diagnosing. And, the open equipment offers a less stressful testing experience for patients who are claustrophobic. Having these diagnostic tools readily available for the emergency and orthopedic patients will also be convenient for the patient so they are able to receive needed testing in one location.

All radiology images, lab results and emergency visits will be saved to the Good Shepherd digital network making patients' test results and medical records readily available to physicians and nursing staff should the patient become hospitalized at the Medical Center for extended care. 

"The project vision for the center was to design a patient-focused, functional facility that allows each discipline to be an industry leader while providing a continuum of care for Good Shepherd patients," Ken Cunningham, executive vice president & interim CEO, said. "We want to deliver innovative, compassionate and comprehensive care to each and every patient. We worked closely with the architectural and design team to create a building that is focused specifically around the patient and to provide a balanced flow throughout the entire facility." 

The facility also utilizes the environment as a healing tool incorporating an abundance of natural light and capitalizing on the existing outdoor amenities. According to Anne Hugman with Hugman Architecture, the attractively appointed offices will overlook the Institute lake and the fully wooded area to the north of the property allowing the patient a tranquil experience both inside and outside of the facility. The four main components of the building – orthopedics, radiology, emergency department and primary care – relate to the four seasons, incorporating nature throughout the interior spaces with the colors of winter, spring, summer and fall. The design provides a comfortable welcoming exterior environment and an interior environment that promotes healing. New connecting sidewalks will also allow patients to walk between the Institute and the new outpatient center. 

"With the ever growing population of North Longview and the surrounding communities, Good Shepherd recognized a center like this would prove to be beneficial to our residents," said Buck Birdsong, chairman of Good Shepherd Health System board. "Good Shepherd strives to serve as the community's healthcare provider of choice and offer the community with easy accessibility to our services. We believe this center takes us one step closer to achieving that goal. This new facility will offer the same quality, compassionate care that is synonymous with the Good Shepherd name." 

The facility was designed by Hugman Architecture and local contractor, Transet Company, will serve as the project's general contractor. 

For more information on the services offered at Good Shepherd Medical Center, please contact the Healthy Hotline at (903) 315-GSHS (4747) or visit www.GoodShepherdHealth.org.