Collingsworth General Hospital
Through the years, in whatever facility the local hospital has been housed, it has been available to the community and operated by caring individuals committed to providing quality healthcare by a team of dedicated physicians and allied staff.
The healthcare story for Collingsworth County is one rich in history. The first hospital was a two-story house until 1935 when Dr. E.W. Jones built a new hospital next door. After several years, Dr. Jones found it difficult to maintain the operations of the hospital and in March 1938 he decided to turn over the hospital to the Community of Sisters. Shortly after the transaction, four Sisters set out for the unknown territory of the Texas Panhandle and were welcomed with open arms by the doctors and their families.
Unfamiliar with the Community of Sisters and their work, it was difficult for the residents of Collingsworth County to fully accept the Sisters. Many patients who were able to leave the hospital after the Sisters arrived choose to do so at that time. Eventually the Sisters were accepted by the community and the hospital began to operate as a fully functioning healthcare facility for the benefit of the Texas Panhandle community residents and their families.
Throughout the years in the different facilities that housed the hospital, the one thing that has remained constant for Collingsworth General Hospital is that there has always been medical providers and an allied staff dedicated to the delivery of high quality healthcare close to home for the Collingsworth County community with listening, sharing and healing as top priorities.
Serving the Texas Panhandle for over 80 years, Collingsworth General is a Critical Access hospital located in Wellington, Texas, approximately 100 miles and 2 hours southeast of Amarillo, Texas, and 167 miles and 3 hours northeast of Lubbock, Texas. In 2017, the National Rural Health Association identified Collingsworth General one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. for patient satisfaction.
The hospital is licensed for 13 inpatient acute care beds, all of which may be used as “swing beds” or skilled nursing beds. Further, it maintains a Level IV Trauma Center designation, providing emergency services for the residents of Collingsworth and surrounding counties 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year. Through the hospital’s affiliation with Avera eCare, the services of local providers are complemented by those of board certified emergency room physicians and critical care nurses immediately available through telemedicine at the touch of a button.
In addition, area residents can obtain a wide range of outpatient services at the hospital minimizing the need to travel long distances for health care. These services include: physical therapy, general radiology, CT imaging, mobile MRI services, laboratory services and nutrition counseling. The hospital also operates Collingsworth Family Medicine, a nationally designated Rural Health Clinic.
Combined the hospital and clinic are staffed by almost 80 highly qualified clinical and support personnel who call the Wellington area home, and treat patients like family.