Scenic Mountain

The Scenic Mountain Medical Center Mission: to provide compassionate, high-quality and safe patient care that exceeds the expectations of our patients, physicians, employees and volunteers, and to preserve and strengthen the tradition of community service.

Scenic Mountain Medical Center (SMMC), located on Martin Luther King Boulevard, admits 3400 patients to the 150-bed hospital each year, while the emergency department serves 14,000 people annually. The hospital hosts a staff of over 300 employees, delivers an annual payroll of $17 million and is involved in several community non-profit efforts. Notably, in 2008 the SMMC team raised over $21,000 to contribute to the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.

During the second half of 2008, services expand to include lithotripsy treatment and a sleep lab. A recent upgrade to the hospital’s magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment allows for magnetic resonance angiography which provides a detailed view of the blood vessels. This is extremely useful in detecting stroke and blood vessel diseases.

A Level IV Trauma Center designation, first earned in 2005, certifies that the Emergency Department at Scenic Mountain provides the equipment and resources to care for patients with traumatic injuries and illness. “This designation was given after SMMC underwent an extensive survey process by the Texas Department of State Health Services to demonstrate its commitment to high quality trauma care for the residents of Howard County and the surrounding area” says George Parsley, CEO of Scenic Mountain Medical Center. “We will continue to work to set new standards of excellence in providing emergency care.”

West Texas VA Health Care System

The West Texas VA Health Care System is located at 300 Veterans Boulevard in Big Spring, Texas and was constructed in 1949. It is a 55-bed Complexity Level 3 facility with a 40-bed Community Living Center and a 12 bed domiciliary. Staffed with 520 employees, the facility serves counties in West Texas and New Mexico, with a veteran population of approximately 58,500. The WTVAHCS is part of the VA Southwest Health Care Network, VISN 18.

In addition to primary care and mental health services, specialties are available in medicine, outpatient surgery, ophthalmology, dental, audiology, and rehabilitation.

Outpatient alcohol and drug treatment are also provided.

The ophthalmology service is provided in conjunction with an ophthalmology residency training program through an affiliation with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, Texas. Programs are in place for medical residents and physician assistant students with Texas Tech University in Odessa, Texas. Additional affiliations exist with ten universities, colleges, and technical schools for students in nursing and allied health professions.

Authorized Beds: 55 Medical
40 Extended Care & Transitional Unit
40 bed domiciliary

Mission Statement
To serve the health care needs of America's veterans through excellence of service.

Vision Statement
The West Texas VA Health Care System will be a model of clinical and organizational
excellence.
 

Big Spring State Hospital

Big Spring State Hospital's mission is to promote recovery from mental illness and a rapid return to community life by providing treatment, education and hope in a safe and supportive environment. Big Spring State Hospital believes patients can achieve their optimum level of wellness by being cared for in the least restrictive environment possible. Most people stay at the hospital less than a month before moving home.

Big Spring State Hospital contracts with the Veterans Administration VISN 18 of West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to provide psychiatric hospitalization for veterans. Veterans from these areas may be admitted to Big Spring State Hospital by a formal referral from one of the seven VA Hospitals in VISN 18.

Big Spring State Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (Joint Commission).

For more information, visit the hospital’s website:
http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/mhhospitals/BigSpringSH/default.shtm

Accredited Acute Care Hospitals