Nueces County plans to ensure ER residency program future with or without Christus Spohn

Nueces County remains committed to ensuring an emergency medicine residency program remains in the community long-term

Nueces County Judge Connie Scott announced in a news release Wednesday that a county committee has identified a "long-term strategy" to ensure the future of the Christus Spohn Health System emergency medicine residency program, looking both at potential solutions involved Christus Spohn, as well as other hospital systems.

After Christus Spohn announced in the fall that it planned to phase out its emergency medicine residency program by summer 2026, the local medical community petitioned elected officials to help save the program. The Nueces County Commissioners Court created a committee to find a solution, while the Nueces County Hospital District, which serves the county's indigent population, negotiated a $21 million deal to delay the end of the program until 2030.

"We're thankful that Spohn was able to come to an agreement with the hospital district through the direction of the commissioner's court," Commissioner John Marez said. "But we know that the five to six years that we have is not going to be enough."

The residency program is the only emergency medicine residency program in the region, attracting doctors from across the country. The three-year program teaches about 36 resident doctors and employs another dozen faculty doctors.

In order for a residency program to be fully functioning and accredited, it needs three full residency classes. Attending numerous public meetings in the fall, faculty doctors said they cannot recruit new doctors if the program is slated to end before they expect to finish their residency.

Marez said that this means the clock is ticking to find a permanent solution.

"We are under a two-year crunch to get an agreement in place," Marez said.

The county's committee includes Marez and Commissioner Brent Chesney, Nueces County Hospital District administrator Jonny Hipp and members of the Nueces County Hospital District Board of Managers, community advocate Karen Urban and doctors representing the residency program's faculty and residents who have fought to save the program.

Christus Spohn leadership was also invited to participate in the committee, but has not attended any committee meetings. The invitation is still open, Marez said.

The committee has identified two potential solutions. Either the hospital district can negotiate a long-term permanent solution with Christus Spohn to maintain the program or another hospital system can take on the program.

Members of the committee from the Nueces County Hospital District will discuss potential long-term solutions with Christus Spohn.

"We're not going to force this program on anyone that doesn't want this," Marez said. "But we as a community, we do want and we do need these doctors."

At the time of the agreement in December, the health system released a statement calling the agreement a "sustainable, long-term plan." It is unclear whether Christus Spohn might consider maintaining the program beyond the current temporary agreement, through which the Nueces County Hospital District has pledged to pay millions of dollars each year until 2030 to cover the costs of the program.

Christus Spohn shared a statement with the Caller-Times Thursday evening sharing the system’s commitment to the program.

“We worked collaboratively with the Nueces County Hospital District, Nueces County commissioners, faculty and our associates to ensure we were able to sustain the program moving forward and we are grateful for that partnership,” according to the statement. “CHRISTUS Spohn Health System is exploring options for the residency program to remain with us beyond the current agreement. Patient safety and care remain our priority as we fulfill our mission to extend the healing ministry of Jesus.”

A subcommittee of the county group including Marez, Chesney and Urban will meet with other hospital systems to develop an alternative strategy in case a solution involving Christus Spohn cannot be found.

"(Christus Spohn) has been a great partner in our community," Marez said. "...we don't want them to feel that this program was pushed on them... if they still feel with this short-term agreement that they can't commit further than that, we need a long-term answer."

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Christus Spohn Health System.

Nueces County Hospital District approves letter agreement for EM residency program

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Nueces County reaffirms support for ER doctor teaching program