CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Last week, KRIS 6 began reporting on plans for Christus Spohn to shut down their Emergency Medicine (EM) Residency Program by 2026. Public officials are now doubling down in major efforts to keep the program alive.
Just over three dozen physicians, patients, church and community members began their Wednesday morning with a prayer service in front of Spohn Shoreline. Their goal in prayer was to keep the EM Residency Program intact.
"I feel a sense of hope. I know that things can change. Our God can change things. He's powerful and amazing and I know that those changes can take effect. Maybe he'll reach the hearts of those people who make those decisions. We just hope that God can reach their hearts and help them understand the importance of what they're doing here," Christus Spohn physician Mance Cutbirth said.
Within the same hour, many in attendance made their way to the Nueces County Courthouse where all commissioners and Judge Connie Scott signed off on a resolution in support of keeping the EM Residency.
That resolution said that eliminating the program would destroy healthcare in Corpus Christi and hurt the poor and underserved populations of Nueces County. In that resolution, they also asked Spohn to re-evaluate its decision.
In a meeting earlier this week with the Nueces County Hospital District, Christus Spohn CEO Dominic Dominguez said he is willing to work with the district to find solutions. The Hospital District also said they could fund some of the program cost.
"I think that this is a step in the right direction that there is a willingness to have this dialogue discussed further and have those options. I don’t think this is a matter of if we are going to keep it, it’s where," Commissioner John Marez said.
Discussions between the Hospital District and Christus Spohn are ongoing.
Commissioners said if an agreement cannot be reached between the two, there are other hospitals that have expressed interest in taking over the program.
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