Minor Care Center on Memorial to close Sunday for renovations

One day after Christus Southeast Texas Health- St. Mary hospital started operating under new terms, the Christus Southeast Texas Health System announced further changes in service coming to Port Arthur.

The health system announced Wednesday the Christus Minor Care Center of Port Arthur, located at 8445 Memorial Blvd. Suite 600, will be converted to an urgent care center under new Christus ownership.

The center — which will be given a new name at a later date — will temporarily close for renovations, beginning Sunday, but is expected to reopen in November.

“People in the communities we serve want quick, high-quality care at a fair price,” Paul Trevino, Christus Health Southeast Texas CEO, said in a press release Wednesday. “This transition from a minor care to urgent care center is just one more way that Christus Health and Christus Southeast Texas can offer convenient care to Mid-County, helping people to feel better quickly so they can get back to more important matters.”

The Wednesday announcement comes three months after Christus Southeast Texas Health System rebranded and announced plans to move long-stay services and several departments out of St. Mary Hospital.

Once the renovations are complete and the new Urgent Care facility opens, the center will transition from the oversight of Christus Southeast Texas Health System to another Christus entity.

The Christus Southeast Texas Associates currently employed at the Minor Care Center are expected to transition to the new Christus entity, and will be assigned to other clinics and projects as the center is under renovation.

Danielle Pardue, Christus Hospital- St. Elizabeth and St. Mary marketing and communications officer, said the transition — while largely seamless to Mid- and South County residents — will offer some additional benefits.

Patients at the new Urgent Care facility may pay lower co-pays for the same care, because the center will no longer be part of the St. Mary Emergency Department with emergency room prices. The center will also be able to use a new electronic health record for patients instead of using the hospital’s medical record system.

Pardue said this shift is part of a larger change going on at Christus Health and across the country. Nationwide, many inpatient services have moved to outpatient venues, and consumers increasingly expect health care services to be more convenient and affordable.

Twitter: @crhenderson90