Allegiance moves forward in Kilgore
By LESTER MURRAY news2@kilgorenewsherald.com

Laird Memorial Hospital is gone.

Allegiance Specialty Hospital of Kilgore is upand running .

Jim Turgeon, chief financial officer for Allegiance, said at a reception Friday that Allegiance will be a 40-bed, long-term acute care (LTAC) hospital as of September 1.

The new administrator, Marc Pearce, was introduced at the reception to honor Bob Ellzey, former administrator at Laird Memorial Hospital. Pearce has five-years of experience as a hospital administrator.

"We are in a probationary period at this time," said Turgeon. "We will be operating a threeto five-bed facility during this period using the behavioral unit to offset the costs until Allegiance gets off probation and initiates the full 40-bed unit."

Turgeon said Allegiance will have an occupational medicine unit in Kilgore operating weekdays during business hours, staffed by doctors from Longview Regional Hospital. "We will also have an urgent care clinic for non-life threatening conditions," said Turgeon. "This clinic will operate seven days a week, 14 hours a day."

There will also be a diagnostic clinic also staffed by Longview Regional. "This will offer a variety of doctors on specific days for different specialties," said Turgeon.

Turgeon said once the LTAC is up and running, the behavioral unit will split and will operate under a different name than Allegiance Special Care Hospital.

Allegiance is expecting to cover a 100-mile radius, employing up to 170 persons including 120 in the LTAC unit. "Ninetyfive percent of these employees will be staffed from right here in East Texas," said Pearce.

Turgeon said Allegiance has been in the health care field since 2003, operating four acute-care hospitals, two LTACS, and 28 outpatient programs in nine states.

Sherry Bustin, director for the behavioral health unit at Allegiance, said the behavioral unit will serve 28 counties with 18 beds available.

In the LTAC unit, Pearce said the average stay is approximately 25 days, but could be longer or shorter depending on the needs of the patients.