The Forney EDC's quarterly breakfast meeting was hosted by Crumbzz Tasting Pavillion and held on Wednesday, July 11, 2012. The meeting centered around the new Lake Pointe Medical Center that will be part of Phase Two of the Forney Medical Plaza off Highway 80 near FM 548. Updates were given about the new Emergency Department that will be built and ready to open by the end of this year.
The Forney EDC's quarterly breakfast meeting was hosted by Crumbzz Tasting Pavillion and held on Wednesday, July 11, 2012. The meeting centered around the new Lake Pointe Medical Center that will be part of Phase Two of the Forney Medical Plaza off Highway 80 near FM 548. Updates were given about the new Emergency Department that will be built and ready to open by the end of this year.
Forney EDC President Matt Ferguson introduced Eric Evans, the CEO of the Lake Pointe Health Network. Evans was warmly greeted by the approximately 40 meeting attendees, which included the EDC Board Members, EDC Director Kim Buttram, members of the City Council, City Manager Brian Brooks, County Commissioner Ray Clark, and County Judge Bruce Wood. Evans started out by saying, “Our vision is to provide world class health care for the community.” He noted that the Leapfrog Group has given Lake Pointe a hospital safety score of “A” in 2012 and that Consumer Reports ranked them as the 5th safest hospital in the state.
Evans wanted to make it clear to the public that the Emergency Department coming to Forney will not be an Urgent Care Facility, but is in fact a full-service Emergency Room that is in network with every insurance company. The Forney facility will also have a Helipad and a Decontamination Room at the location. Evans also proudly pointed out, “Our wait times are half that of the national average.”
The $5 million Lake Pointe Imaging Center was part of Phase One of the Forney Medical Plaza and Eric Evans made it clear that his company aims to expand health care options in the future to include additional specialists and pediatric care in Forney. They would also like a future expansion to include rheumatology care and orthopedic care, as well as a surgical center. The target market is primarily the 35,000 plus residents of Forney. Evans told the audience, “You can expect us to be a great community partner.” In addition to the contractors and construction crews who will soon be building the Emergency Department, Lake Pointe expects to initially hire 10-15 nurses and add a total of 35 jobs in Forney, eventually expanding to hundreds of jobs.
Jackie Cox, the Director of Emergency Services for Lake Pointe, told those at the meeting that she and her staff have already begun working with the Forney Fire Department and the Forney Police Department in preparation for the Lake Pointe Medical Center opening by the end of December of 2012. She stressed that disaster preparedness training would take place so that if any disaster situation were to strike Forney, the hospital and emergency responders would be a well prepared and organized team.
The addition of the Lake Pointe Medical Center is a major win for the City of Forney which will see an increase in tax revenue, but more importantly it is a win for the Forney community as a whole. Residents in need of an E.R. will no longer have to drive to Dallas or any other city to receive that care. Stroke patients may benefit the most because having immediate care and access to blood clot medicine can make a huge difference in their future quality of life.
**Note: There was some confusion with the Lake Pointe packet that was distributed to the media. The original amenities listed, such as 70 beds and a Neonatal Care Unit, are currently available at the Rowlett facility, but are not planned for the Forney location. We received an update with the exact amenities that will be at the Forney Emergency Department and they are listed below. We apologize for any confusion.**
General emergency care planned for the Forney E.D.
*5 beds (with additional 2 beds that will be shell space for future expansion/need)
*1 trauma bed
*Primary Stroke Center
*Labs and Imaging onsite as well
*Orthopedic injuries, including fractures, dislocations, and laceration repairs.
*Cardiac care including EKG's, cardiac blood tests, stabilization of non traumatic chest pain, and facilitation of transfer to Cath Lab.
*Respiratory care including breathing treatments, intubations, and ventilator management.
*Evaluation and non-surgical treatment of abdominal pain.
*Advanced imaging such as CT, CT angiograms, MRI, and X-Rays available 24 hours a day.
*Neurologic problems, including ischemic stroke care with the administration of TPA (a blood clot dissolving medication).
*All pediatric illnesses and injuries.
*Facial injuries, including superficial eye injuries.
*Initial treatment of Acute MI, Hemorrhagic stroke, and surgical emergencies prior to transfer.
