ROCKPORT, Texas — Aransas County residents will find it challenging to find emergency medical attention now that the only emergency room in that area has closed its doors.
Judge Burt Mills said major factors led to the Code 3 Emergency Room & Urgent Care in Rockport to close, such as not having enough staff to work, and problems with patients' insurance programs.
In a statement, C3ER said “another consideration was the serious shortage of personal protection equipment for the medical community.”
However, there still are doctors office's which residents can go visit, but Code 3 Emergency Room & Urgent Care facility was the only ER in the county.
“Load up and go to Portland; Corpus Christi," Mills said. "I know it’s further (sic) but that's what we’re going to have to do until we get this figured out."
The Aransas County area hasn't had a hospital since Aransas Pass' Care Regional Medical Center was devastated by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The hospital and its staff originally planned to clean up and re-open the hospital, but it was eventually determined the facility had sustained too much damage.
Mills said he’s working on seeking funding from the Texas General Land Office on a $9.9 million dollar grant to build a county-owned facility.
“Like I say, we've survived through it before," MIlls said. "We can do it again until we get something better in the near future."
