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| Vol. 22, No. 20 |
| November 1, 2000 |
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HCHD's Gulfgate Health Center Opens By John F. Martinez Harris County Hospital District Harris County Hospital District's newest facility, the Gulfgate Health Center located at 7550 Office City Drive, near the highway intersection of Interstate 45 South and Loop 610, opened recently. Gulfgate replaced the HCHD Ripley Health Center, closing after 27 years of service. "It's a very exciting time for us now," said John A. Guest, President and CEO of the Hospital District. "We're not only ending a long tradition of medical care at Ripley, but we're starting a new era at Gulfgate." The new $4 million facility has 32,000 square feet of space, which is more than twice the size of Ripley. It has 45 exam rooms and offers never-before-available dental care. Gulfgate will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday "We had simply outgrown our old building," says Michelle Fowler, former director of Ripley and new director of Gulfgate. "Gulfgate Health Center is a state-of-the-art facility that I'm certain the entire community will love." Gulfgate's floor plan and design are user-friendly. Patients can easily travel the color-coordinated halls to get to their specialty areas, known as pods, for a variety of care including pediatric, adult and obstetrics/gynecology. The center's main entrance and long hallway splits the center into two main areas: patient care and support services such as laboratory, pharmacy, radiology and phlebotomy. In addition, the center features a large children's playroom near the main waiting area. The splashy use of bright colors and the raised ceilings throughout the center are sure to be a hit among both patients and visitors. Construction of Gulfgate, began in May 1999. Its predecessor, Ripley Health Center, first opened to patients in 1973, becoming the sixth of what is now a network of 11 neighborhood health centers run by the Hospital District. Last year, staff at Ripley saw about 175 patient visits a day. Gulfgate is expected to see that many patients and more during its first year of operation.
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