Meeting the
health care Needs
of East Texas
Patients
by Christina Cavazos
“CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System has a rich history in the East Texas community, providing compassionate and dignified care for all those we are blessed to serve.”
A look at Longview’s two, high-quality hospitals.
For decades, Longview’s two leading hospitals have been dedicated to providing the latest cutting-edge technology and services to meet the health care needs of hundreds of thousands of individuals in the East Texas Region.
CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System and Longview Regional Medical Center each employ hundreds of nurses and physicians who are committed to providing compassionate care for patients.
Both hospital systems also offer high quality services, including new procedures, that allow patients to receive care in East Texas rather than having to travel to a larger metro area for services.
CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System
With roots that date back to 1935, CHRISTUS Good Shepherd has transformed from a 47-bed facility into a hospital system that has cared for hundreds of thousands of East Texans throughout the last 90 years.
Founded as Gregg County Memorial Hospital in 1935, the original facility consisted of 47 beds designed to provide for the health care needs of Longview and surrounding communities following the East Texas oil boom during the Great Depression.
“Since then, the hospital has cared for countless families in the area and provided comprehensive health care for patients in the East Texas region,” Swierc said.
The facility became Good Shepherd in 1960, and in 2007, Good Shepherd and Marshall Memorial Hospital joined together to create the Good Shepherd Health System. In February 2017, they joined CHRISTUS Health System, renaming it to CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System.
Today, the CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System consists of a 425-bed hospital in Longview, a 149-bed hospital in Marshall, the NorthPark hospital in north Longview, an emergency center in Kilgore, and about 40 clinics throughout the East Texas region. An emergency center in Henderson also broke ground in 2024 and is slated to open in 2025. The health system specializes in cardiovascular, orthopedics, sports medicine, trauma, bariatrics, gastroenterology, women’s and children’s services, neurological, primary care, stroke care and surgical services. It employs more than 3,000 individuals, of which more than 1,000 are nurses, physicians and health care providers.
Swierc noted that CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview features a Level III Trauma and Emergency Center as well as a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The Level III NICU designation is the second highest level in the state.
The CHRISTUS Heart and Vascular Center in Longview is home to cutting-edge cardiovascular technology and earned the American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry Chest Pain – MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award last year for the high-level of cardiac care it provides patients. The hospital also has been recognized by the American Heart and American Stroke Association for excellence in stroke and diabetes care, he said.
In 2024, the CHRISTUS Heart and Vascular Institute completed its 100th TAVR (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) procedure for patients with atrial fibrillation. TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure that replaces a damaged aortic valve in the heart. The nature of the procedure allows for faster procedures with reduced risk and quicker recovery times for patients, Swierc noted.
“The first minimally invasive mitral valve replacement procedure was also done this year,” he said. “The mitral valve is located between the left heart chambers, specifically the left atrium and left ventricle. Historically, this procedure was an invasive open-heart surgery, which required longer hospital stays and recovery times. Dr. Lisardo Garcia, cardiothoracic surgeon with CHRISTUS Heart and Vascular Institute, performed the procedure and shared that it is a viable alternative to total valve replacement.”
Soon, the hospital plans to open a newly renovated catheterization lab featuring the newest cardiovascular technology and new operating rooms.
The CHRISTUS Good Shepherd NorthPark campus is home to the CHRISTUS Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute. In 2025, it will celebrate its one-year anniversary next year. It features six state-of-the-art surgical suites, expanded clinic space, outpatient procedure rooms and patient rooms for overnight stays.
In 2024, CHRISTUS Good Shepherd, in partnership with the City of Kilgore and Kilgore College, opened the Roy H. Laird Regional Medical Health Sciences Education Center. It includes a new teaching and state-of-the-art lab space through Kilgore College’s health science programs, a new primary care clinic and an outpatient physical therapy location.
In 2025, CHRISTUS Good Shepherd will open a new emergency center in Henderson, Swierc added. This facility will feature around-the-clock emergency services with 17 total beds, 13 exam rooms, four triage rooms, state-of-the-art full-service imaging and provide on-site laboratory services.
Swierc noted the benefit of CHRISTUS Good Shepherd offering a connected health system throughout East Texas, meaning that CHRISTUS can offer care to patients wherever they go.
“We utilize a holistic approach to care as we seek to compassionately care for the whole person and for every person who needs our help, regardless of ability to pay,” he said.
In 2024, CHRISTUS awarded more than $35 million charity care and $3.4 million for
community outreach programs, he said. This past year, CHRISTUS Good Shepherd Health System had more than 120,000 emergency department visits and delivered nearly 1,300 babies. CHRISTUS Good Shepherd also provided nearly 1,800 free sports physicals to area student-athletes in 2024. “We offer cutting-edge technology not found elsewhere in the community or surrounding areas,” he said. “Our clinicians are the top talent who are competitively recruited to provide high-quality care to our patients. They join us as they are eager to be a part of our mission.” christushealth.org
“Every milestone reached and every achievement celebrated is a reflection of our dedication to fulfilling our mission of improving the health and well-being of our community.”
Longview Regional Medical Center
In 1980, a new hospital opened to help meet the health care needs of East Texas. When it opened its doors in June 1980 to begin seeing patients, Longview Regional Medical Center had 100 beds in a 100,000-square-foot facility. At the time, there were three operating room suites, five emergency room bays, and one trauma room. The hospital employed about 275 people total, including about 25 physicians and nurses.
Throughout the past 45 years, Longview Regional Medical Center has grown into one of the leading health care facilities in Longview. The hospital now has 224 beds, 185 active physicians, and employs more than 1,300 people.
Longview Regional Medical Center offers a broad range of services, including critical care, cardiology, women’s health, maternity care, emergency services, diagnostic imaging, digestive health, neurology, occupational health, pediatric, orthopedic, rehabilitation, respiratory care, vein care, and surgical services. The hospital is nationally recognized for chest pain and stroke care.
In the last year, LRMC assisted with more than 229,000 patient encounters and provided care during more than 38,000 emergency department visits. In 2023, Longview Regional Medical Center provided more than $22 million in charity and uncompensated care for the community’s most vulnerable.
“Our hospital’s growth, measured not just in numbers but in the lives we’ve touched, is a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional care and support to all who walk through our doors,” said Steve Gordon, chief executive officer of Longview Regional Medical Center.
In 2024, Longview Regional Medical Center continued to advance its services in the community by celebrating the first anniversary of its new, freestanding emergency center and by offering groundbreaking new procedures to the East Texas community.
Longview Regional Medical Center opened a freestanding ER in 2023 at 120 E. Loop 281. The facility was home to Excel ER, and Longview Regional purchased it after Excel closed. Longview Regional worked with RLM General Contractors to renovate the facility. It celebrated its one-year anniversary in 2024.
The Longview Regional Emergency Center features 24-hour emergency care every day, including 24/7 lab services and imaging services such as X-rays, ultrasounds and CT scans. The facility also has a trauma room, observation room, and a negative pressure room designed to prevent the spread of contamination between rooms for patients experiencing such health issues as tuberculosis and COVID.
The Longview Regional Emergency Center can treat potentially life-threatening conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, head injuries, fractures, abdominal pain, respiratory issues and more.
Stephanie Crossland, who serves as the manager of the Longview Regional Emergency Center, said the patient volume since opening has exceeded her expectations.
“I honestly believe the driving factor for that is the level of compassionate care,” said Crossland.
Crossland worked at Longview Regional Medical Center for 10 years prior to being named manager of the emergency center. She started at LRMC as a nurse and was later promoted supervisor of the emergency room at the main campus before moving to the freestanding ER.
“We’re offering our hearts to people in their biggest time of need,” she said of her team of about 30 people at the freestanding emergency center. “Our community wants to be cared for; they want compassionate care and they deserve it.”
In addition to its freestanding care, the Longview Regional Emergency Center is aligned with the main hospital, which can offer continuous care to patients.
Last year, Dr. Samir Germanwala was recognized as the first interventional cardiologist in the nation to place a dual chamber leadless pacemaker. This procedure is a treatment for individuals with abnormal or slow heart rhythms requiring pacing.
Leadless pacemakers allow for the direct implantation of leadless devices into the heart through a needle puncture in the groin, avoiding the necessity of an incision and for cardiac leads. Ultimately, this approach offers a less restrictive and swifter recovery period post-implantation.
“This system allows a minimally-invasive solution to address the needs of individuals requiring dual-chamber pacing (targeting both the right atrium and right ventricle) for optimal cardiac function,” Germanwala said.
“This procedure significantly reduces the risk of lead- and pocket-related complications, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes. We are happy to offer the latest FDA approved technology to improve patient lives right here in Longview.” longviewregional.com
