Memorial Hospital – Your Hospital For Life [SPONSORED POST]

What started out as a vision of local industry leaders to reinvest 100 percent of all hospital proceeds back into a medical facility and the community, now represents the largest health care system in the deep East Texas area---Memorial Health System of East Texas.

The facility, which opened its doors in 1949, continues to pave the way for quality, innovative health care in East Texas.  In fact, Memorial consistently ranks among the nation’s best for exceptional health care and patient satisfaction. Just recently HealthStream Research* indicated that Memorial is the preferred hospital in East Texas area when it comes to patient care.

The private, not-for-profit hospital provides more than a quarter of a million patient services each year, and over the past six decades, the facility has experienced significant growth to offer a 175 member medical staff, 1,400-plus health care workers and a host of patient care services that at one time could only be found in large metropolitan cities.

The system is comprised of four hospitals: Memorial Medical Center—Lufkin, Memorial Medical Center—Livingston, Memorial Medical Center—San Augustine, and Memorial Specialty Hospital, the only rural long-term acute care facility in the area.  Memorial—Lufkin is home to the area’s only dedicated heart and stroke care facility, the Cardiovascular & Stroke Center of East Texas.  And partnering with The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Memorial is now the only Joint Commission Certified stroke care facility in Lufkin.  When it comes to cancer treatment, The Arthur Temple Sr. Regional Cancer Center is recognized for clinical excellence by the American College of Surgeons as one of the top 25 percent of Cancer Centers in America.

Memorial was the first health care facility in Texas to acquire the DaVinci High Definition Robot for robotic assisted procedures in heart, lungs, kidneys and gynecology. Other centers of excellence include the Temple Imaging Center that offers some of the most advanced procedures in the area, including PET/CT scanning for cancer and Alzheimer’s, 64 Slice CT scanning, Open Bore MRI, 4D Ultrasound, and digital mammography. Other specialty areas include Orthopedic care, Women’s Services, Inpatient and Outpatient Rehabilitation, Homecare, Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Kidney & Diabetes Treatment, Sleep Disorders Treatment and Express Lab.

It’s with Memorial’s commitment to excellence in mind that many East Texas residents have continued to utilize the hospital’s services throughout their entire lives.

President of Angelina Hardwood Sales Trey Henderson, born in 1958, carries on a third-generation tradition by serving on the Memorial board of directors. As an industrial leader, Henderson’s grandfather was one of the hospital’s founding members and a longtime board member. “For me, Memorial is family because my business is family,” Henderson said. “My grandfather, my father and I have each been involved with Memorial. It’s a generational thing as much as anything. When you say the term, ‘Hospital for Life,’ it really is in my case. I think it’s been a unique situation that doesn’t exist in today’s society very often where you see industries, individuals and hospitals that have literally grown up together.”

For Cooper and Julie Castleberry, co-owners of Castleberry’s Furniture Store in Lufkin, their connection to Memorial also started at birth. “He was born August 2, 1951 and I was born exactly three months later on November 2, 1951,” Julie Castleberry said. “Who would have known that 60 years this would still be the hospital that takes care of our family’s needs. That’s why Memorial is so special to me.” The Castleberry’s now live just a few blocks from the Lufkin facility. “Part of the reason we’ve stayed where we are is because the hospital is so close,” Cooper Castleberry said. “With all of Memorial’s accomplishments, not only am I personally proud of the hospital, but for the city and all of East Texas.”

*According to HealthStream Research’s brand position analysis conducted in 2011.