State-of-The-Art Facilities Make Tyler a Health-Care Hub
economy, education, hospitals, medical,
Three major hospitals, a strong corps of clinics and other medical-support outlets provide a strong pulse for the Tyler economy and reinforce the city’s status as the heart of health-care services for residents throughout the region.
East Texas Medical Center has been picking up awards and adding new technology to enhance its offerings. The hospital recently won the Designated Trauma Facility Award from the Texas Department of State Health Services, while Dr. William Moore won the EMS Medical Director award from the organization.
The hospital also is expanding its CyberKnife of Texas program, a collaborative effort between the ETMC Regional Healthcare System and Tyler Neurosurgical Associates, and has broken ground on a $38 million, 97,000-square-foot facility in Pittsburg, which will anchor a 40-acre campus at the intersection of U.S. Highway 271 and County Road 4114. The new Pittsburg campus is slated to be complete in 2009.
“The ETMC success formula is simple,” says Elmer G. Ellis, president and CEO of the ETMC Regional Healthcare System.
“Do what’s best for the patient, and everything else will fall into place. One of the key aspects of this philosophy is extending as much care as possible into the local communities we serve.”
Trails also are being blazed at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler, a recognized leader in interventional pulmonary medicine. Dr. Ted McLemore, director of interventional pulmonology and professor of medicine at UTHSCT, is pioneering a new procedure, electromagnetically guided bronchoscopy.
“This new technique allows the biopsy of small lung nodules located in the periphery of the lungs without invasive surgery,” McLemore says. “It offers promising treatment options for this type of lung cancer for patients who are not good candidates for surgery. This is the new standard of care for diagnosing lung cancer, determining what stage the cancer has reached and treating it.”
New developments are gaining attention at Trinity Mother Frances, a third major hospital in the area, as well. In 2003, the facility opened the Ornelas Tower, which includes the Trinity Mother Frances Heart Institute and the Center for Advanced Surgery and Technology, and in 2007, followed that with the Trinity Mother Frances Neuroscience Institute. Current projects include a neonatal intensive care unit, which hospital officials say will be Tyler’s first.
Trinity Mother Frances also has partnered with Premier Fitness to open fitness centers throughout the region. This is one of several efforts the health-care provider is making on the community-wellness front, says Lindsey Bradley, FACHE, president of Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics, who adds that the more services that can be provided locally, the better.
“Residents of Tyler and the surrounding region are fortunate to have access to not only excellent primary health care, but also many medical specialties,” Bradley says.
“Any time a patient has the option of being treated close to home instead of commuting to distant cities, such as Dallas, Shreveport or Houston, that is a huge benefit for everyone.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Todd Bennett
Comments
Great stuff.. This is how modern health care centres should be. That will make for a perfect ambience
By health News on 2008 07 29
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