ANDREWS- A new year, a new facility and this is just the beginning. The dawning of a healthier Andrews is underway.
Hospital and community leaders gathered in the lobby of the new Health and Wellness Wing to cut the ribbon of the first phase of the new Permian Regional Medical Center in Andrews. A center that will benefit the whole county.
"As always the people and leadership of Andrews come together to work together. We had a great turn out. People are excited and we invite the community to come out and see it because it belongs to all of us," Andrews Mayor, Flora Braly, said.
A $60 million bond passed in November of 2012 for the hospital. The public's input on what they wanted in the facility was included.
"We felt like the community is paying for this building so we better listen to what they wanted. One of our highlights is the wellness and fitness center that includes diabetic counseling and diabetic teaching," Russell Tippin, CEO of Permian Regional Medical Center, said.
The state of the art facility has new workout equipment, therapy pools, a sauna and much more. Also, phase one has the new Andrews family medicine, which is the doctors clinic. The construction included other offices and a board room. The theme of the hospital is a sunrise.
"In West Texas, we're blessed with some pleasant sunrises and sunsets so our color scheme we went with is the sunrise. A new day in our building and a new day in our community. The sun is shining on us today and we think it looks great," Tippin said.
The community can buy memberships to the health and wellness center, which is $35 a month. The other phases include tearing the old clinic down and eventually getting a whole new hospital. The final phases should be finished by the end of 2016 to early 2017.
"This facility will take us into the future. It's a great time for people to come in here and see this facility and what it has offer you," Braly said.
