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Martin Co. Hospital Helps to Solve Housing Crisis
Martin Co. Hospital Helps to Solve Housing Crisis 10/16/12
CBS 7 News Reporter
October 16, 2012
tguinn@cbs7.com
Stanton - It's the closing of one chapter, and the beginning of another for the Martin County Hospital.
What used to treat patients for over 60 years is now a construction site. Mangled steel and piles of trash are all that's left of what used to be the Martin County Hospital.
"Piled everything into the yard and things blowing around. I was actually very embarrassed that we couldn't do it quicker," Paul McKinney, CEO of the hospital said.
It's a bittersweet scene that has been months in the making.
"Some of the staff don't want to come over, they'll cry because they worked here for so long and I did too. It's sad," McKinney said.
However, once the land is cleared it won't go to waste. It will be enough land to create eight lots for housing.
"The best thing for Stanton would be to take the building to the ground and create housing," McKinney said. "We plan on selling six of them and keeping two for trying to recruit physicians to the area."
The hospital along with the rest of west Texas has had a hard time finding places for their employees to live.
"My staff are looking for places to live here too that live out of town right now and there's just nothing available," McKinney said.
The Martin County Hospital's purpose is simple, the serve the community through health care...and now housing.
The next step for the land is to lay water and sewer lines and fresh top soil. Demolition should be complete by tomorrow.