Bryan based St. Joseph Health System is expanding. President Odette Bolano has announced the acquisition of a 32 bed hospital in Bellville. No jobs are expected to be lost. Bolano says Bellville is one of the fastest growing communities in their service area, which also includes hospitals in Navasota, Caldwell, and Madisonville.
News release courtesy of St. Joseph Health System:
St. Joseph Health System (SJHS) has acquired operations for Bellville General Hospital, in Bellville, Texas. Under the agreement, the facility will be renamed Bellville St. Joseph Health Center.
The 32-bed acute care hospital will the join the system’s 265-bed regional referral center, in Bryan, and three, 25-bed critical access hospitals in Caldwell, Madisonville and Navasota.
With the transition, Bellville St. Joseph will become a Catholic-sponsored hospital and operate in accordance with Catholic healthcare values. Bellville Hospital District will continue to lease the land and facility.
“As the leading healthcare system serving the Brazos Valley, St. Joseph Health System is excited about this new opportunity to serve the residents of Bellville, and we are honored by their choice of St. Joseph as a partner. Although Healthcare is changing at a rapid pace, our commitment is to make certain residents in communities like Bellville maintain local access to high quality healthcare,” said Odette Bolano, RN, MHA, FACHE, President and CEO, St. Joseph Health System.
Bellville is one of the fastest growing communities in St. Joseph’s service area. Additionally, Bellville is home to the only hospital in Austin County.
“As Bellville continues to grow, part of this process is to make sure we are addressing the changing healthcare needs of the community. Building partnerships in surrounding communities enables us to provide the right care locally, but when needed, offering convenient access to specialty care and higher acuity services available through St. Joseph Regional Health Center,” said Bolano.
No jobs are expected to be lost with the operational change. St. Joseph is working with Bellville team members to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.
In late 2012, leaders from Bellville Hospital District and Bellville General Hospital approached Sylvania Franciscan Health (SFH) to discuss transitioning operations. SFH is the health and human services ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis, of Sylvania, Ohio, who sponsor St. Joseph.
“Throughout this process, we have seen what a great relationship the Hospital District and BGH Board of Directors have,” said Bolano. “Their concern has been focused on supporting and growing local health services, which is what St. Joseph supports.”