Wednesday, Jul. 09, 2008
Ground broken for $27 million WRMC expansion project
By Terry Evans
tevans@star-telegram.com
State Representative Phil King said that Weatherford residents doggedly retain their community’s identity while other Metroplex municipalities appear to blend and become indistinct.
Speaking at the groundbreaking for Weatherford Regional Medical Center’s $27 million expansion, King said that WRMC is one of the greatest means by which that identity is maintained. The project, he added, illustrates the hospital administration’s determination to keep it that way.
Phase 1 of the expansion includes a 23-bed emergency department and a 12-bed intensive care unit. Also included are pre-admit testing and expanded imaging, laboratory and pharmacy services.
Speaking for Congresswoman Kay Granger, Marcia Etie congratulated WRMC Administrator Donnie Romine for the hospital’s response to community needs and its effort to improve quality of life in Parker County.
Mike Carter, former chairman of Parker County Hospital District, lauded Community Health Systems for its commitment to the facility.
"This is the first of many additions CHS is planning," he said.
Among those future additions are private rooms, Carter said, adding that that’s one of the needs most frequently mentioned by patients. Indeed, he said that the board has been aware of and determined to overcome the hospital’s shortfalls for a long time.
Carter said that, after the defeat of a bond election, the hospital board explored other paths to accomplish what it knew must be done with what was then Campbell Hospital. Ultimately, leasing the campus rose to the top of those options.
"Community Health System stood above all others," Carter said. "They want you to feel better coming to the hospital. They’ve stepped up in every way."
Parker County residents will have a modern hospital they can be proud of using when the project is finished, Carter said.
"We hear about Baylor coming in," he said. "But these [CHS, its doctors and staff at WRMC] are the medical providers for this county."
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