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ORANGE — Orange County is on its way to no longer being the largest county in the state without a hospital.

The roof is on and windows are being installed on Christus Hospital-Orange for the medical campus located near U.S. 10 and Texas 62.

Kevin Parsley with Christus Health Southeast Texas said the roof was completed last week and the actual build-out in the facility is beginning.

The facility is composed of two elements, as it will be a two-story structure. The top floor will house medical offices where physicians can lease space from the owners of the building. That area could open in June.

The hospital component, Parsley said, will take a bit longer to complete. Parsley anticipates the hospital to open in early fall.

The two-story, 55,000-square-feet building includes a 24/7 emergency hospital and key outpatient diagnostic services, with the remaining space leased to physicians.

Parsley said the hospital would offer full outpatient imaging, radiology and a dedicated women’s center with 3-D mammography and other technology specific to women’s services.

Parsley said the project is the result of community members coming together to address a need that aligned with the company’s ideas.

“Everything came together in that vision for Orange,” he said.

Orange County Judge John Gothia is pleased to see the progress and thankful for the group that worked together to make this happen — bringing a much needed facility to Orange County.

He called it something the residents need and should have.

“At this point we are the largest county (in Texas) without a hospital. I’ll be glad to lose that distinction,” Gothia said.

Orange County has an estimated population of 85,000.

The primary driver behind the push to get a hospital was Marty Rutledge of Orange Medical Surgical Associates. Rutledge will be leasing space in the medical offices once they are completed.

Gothia said there are a number of others involved in getting the hospital to Orange, including Gisela Housman, who donated the land; as well as Orange County, the City of Orange and more.

Background

The journey to bringing a hospital to the county came long before Baptist Hospital Orange closed its emergency room services January 12, 2017.

The closure led to a petition requesting an election for the formation of a hospital district in Orange County.

With 1,253 votes for the district and with 6,342 voting against the proposition in the final tally, the hospital district did not pass.

— Written by Mary Meaux