People, and their insurance companies, are changing the way they use hospitals and Christus Southeast Texas, which operates St. Mary Hospital in Port Arthur, is making changes it hopes will better reflect what the people in Port Arthur need from the hospital that has a history nearly as long as the city itself.
Some of the changes may seem to be a step backward — the loss of more than 100 positions and the transfer of a number of services to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont. Christus officials note that many of those positions weren’t filled and many of the services moving to Beaumont were not being used at the Port Arthur hospital.
Other changes, such as the investment of $10 million to create a regional outpatient center along FM 365, are positive steps to meet the needs of the community and a sizable investment in a new way of supplying health care. Surgery is less invasive today and hospital stays are shorter than years ago and the Christus changes reflect the new demands of health care consumers. Christus officials emphasize that the St. Mary emergency room will continue to serve the needs of Port Arthur, as it has in the past.
Change will continue to be a part of health care in the future at Christus hospitals and other health care providers around the country. We hope by making the changes announced recently, Christus Southeast Texas will be in a better position to continue serving Mid- and South County for years to come as they had for years in the past.