The Faith Community ER in Bowie (Texas), part of Jacksboro, Texas-based Faith Community Health System, will close Oct. 6 nearly one year after opening due to a lack of financial assistance.
The ER was initially opened as a hospital outpatient department as an extension of the health system's flagship Faith Community Hospital, Faith Community Health System CEO Frank Beaman, told Becker's Sept. 25.
In a Sept. 23 letter to the community, obtained by Becker's, Mr. Beaman shared that after an internal review, the ER did not meet projections needed to maintain operations.
"Operating what effectively is a free-standing ER is simply not sustainable without a greater level of financial support from the community," Mr. Beaman said in the letter.
Mr. Beaman also shared that the health system attempted to convert the ER to a rural emergency hospital and was twice unsuccessful "due to the way legislation was written."
"[The law] will only allow for the conversion of an existing acute care hospital and does not provide for designation of a new emergency room like what we opened in Bowie," the letter said. "The federal funding of approximately $3.2 million annually under the REH designation would have been sufficient to support our efforts."
Existing employees who are eligible will be reassigned to open positions at Faith Community Health System.