Faith Community Hospital recently celebrated a major milestone in the construction process as team members from Hoar Construction, Faith Community Hospital (FCH) and the Jacksboro, TX community gathered to hoist one of the final beams to the top of the structure. The project began in spring 2014 and the topping out ceremony celebrates the tremendous progress the team has made on the rural hospital thus far.
The new $24 million hospital will include a walk-in community clinic, free standing emergency (EMS) facility, a free standing wellness center with an indoor pool; new services include obstetrics and on-site mammograms. At 86,000 square feet, the new hospital will be three times larger than the existing facility. FCH is currently designated as a Level IV Trauma Facility. Amenities in the new facility will make it eligible to become a Level III facility, a significant benefit to local residents who might otherwise have to travel outside the county for emergency care. Of the 583 hospitals in Texas, 269 are designated Trauma Facilities. FCH will also be the first hospital in Texas to incorporate geothermal piping and wells. O’Connell Robertson is the architect and Hoar Construction is the general contractor.
Frank Beaman, the CEO of FCH, joined the organization in 2011 and since joining, has aggressively led changes ranging from usage of electronic medical records to healthy living programs administered in conjunction with other local organizations. A new hospital is his most ambitious change yet.
“At a time when many rural communities are seeing a reduction in healthcare services, we are fortunate to be experiencing growth in Jack County,” said Phyliss Elenburg, president of the FCH Charitable Foundation. “It is important for rural residents to have hospitals nearby to access the essential medical services that the community needs and expects.”
Funding for the $24 million project came from private revenue placements and a new tax rate the hospital district adopted in 2012. Beaman also secured an additional $4.5 million through a special federal waiver that provides matching funds to rural hospitals expanding their services
“Faith Community Hospital is setting a new bar for rural hospitals across the state,” David Pearson, President and CEO of Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals (TORCH), said. “Frank is a strategic and long-term thinker. He’s laying the groundwork not only in the hospital, but in the community, to make the qualitative changes necessary to improve the dire situation our healthcare system is in. Watch Faith over the next five to ten years. They’ll provide the guide for other hospital administrators and civic leaders to lead change in their communities.”
Beaman was recently elected to the Board of Directors for Torch and appointed to the Texas Hospital Association Rural Constituency Council.
Hoar has set precedent in the healthcare sector for construction excellence. In 2012, Hoar became the first and only contractor to achieve endorsed company status by the Texas Hospital Association. The endorsement is the seal of approval that a company has met THA requirements for product quality, service track record, customer satisfaction and financial stability.
